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MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 



LIFE AND CHARACTER 



Thomas H. Herndon 

(A REPRESENTATIVE FROM ALABAMA!, 



1>F.I.1VKKF1> IN THE 



HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND IN THE SENATE, 



U . S FOKTV-EKJHTII CONGRKSS, FIRST SESSION. 
II 



PI'lll.ISIIKIi BY lUlDKlt OK CONGRESS. 



WASHINGTON; 
GOVEKNMKNl- I'lUNTING OFFICK. 

1884. 






JOINT RESOLUTION t/> print twelvo thousand fivo Jmndrod copies of eulogies on Tlioniaa 
n. rierndon, liite ;i Koiu-esentativo in Consreas. 

liemlrcd In/ the Senate and House of Ileprcseiitatircs of the United ,States of 
America in Congresi asuemhled. That thorp lio inintcil of tho pulogies delivorod 
in Coiifjicss upon the hite 'J'lioiiias 11. Ileiiulon, a Rcprcsciitativo-clect in thr 
Foi'ty-i'ii;hth Coiiijiess from tho Stato of Ahihania, twolvo thonsanil five hnn- 
<irotl oopios, of wliich throe thoiisanil oopios shall lio for tlie nso of the Senate, 
atid nine thonsanil live hnndreil for the nso of th(^ HonNO of Representatives. 
Anil the Seeretary of the Troa.snry he, anil he is herohy, ilireetod to have 
printed a portrait of the said Thomas II. Ilerndon to aecompany said eulo- 
gies, and for the purpo.se of eugavin;; and printin;; said portrait the snm of 
five hundred dollars, or so nineh thori'of as may he neeo.ssary, is herohy ap- 
propriated out of any money in tho Tri'asnry not otherwise appropriated. 

Approved, May 3, 18H4 



^UG 6 l»U« 
UotD. 



ADDRESSES 



Death of Thomas H. Herndon. 



ROCl'l-DlXCS IX TIM' IIOUSH. 



In tiif! Hottsk of Representatives, 

Thrcmber 5, 1883. 
Mr. Jones, of Alaliama. INIr. Spoakci', it is my pninl'iil duty to 
annouiipc the (loath of'niy prcdceossor, Hon. Thomas H. IIe[!NDON, 
wlii(^li occurred on tlic 2Sth day of Mardi last, at his lionie in Mobile, 
Ala. At some fntnre time I sliall ask tliat a day he set aside for 
the consideration of appropriate oiiitnarv resolutions. I now oiler 
the resolution which I send to the desk. 
The Clerk read as follows: 

HcKolritl, Tliiit tills Hiiuselias licanl witli iiiolnmid irfjrct (if llioilciitli of 
lion. TiKi.MAS 11. IIkrxixiX, l;ito a l{c|iics(nt.itiv('-eli'(t I'loin tlic Stale of 
Ahiliiim.a. 

Itemhvtl, Th.it, as a iii.aik of icsin'ct to tlic nicniorv of tlio di-ocascd, tliis 
HoiiNO do now jiiljonni. 

The resolutions were unanimously aoreed to; and a<'cor(lin<;ly 
(at 12 o'clock and 4(* minutes ]>. m.) the House adjourned. 



4 LIFE AND CHAUACrEH OF THOMAS If. BEllXDOX. ' 

March 12, 1884. 

Mr. Jones, of Alahtuna. I ask unanimous consent that Satnr- 
flav, tho 12tli (lay of April, lie fixed as the time tor tlie delivering 
of ti'ihiites to the memorv of tiie late Thomas H. Hkrndon, late 
a Itepreseiitative-elect from tlie State of Alaliama. 

Tiiere was no oiijuction, and it was so onlered. 



April 12, 1884. 

Tiie Si'KAicER. By resohition of the Hcnise this day at 2 o'cidcic 
was assigned for the offering of resolutions c.\])l•(^ssivo of regret at 
tlie deatii of the late Thomas H. Herndox, a Representative- 
elect of this House. Tiiat iiour has now arrived. 

I\rr. Jones, of Alabama. I v)ffer tlie resolution which I send to 
the desk. 

The Clerk read as follows: 

Hcsolrcd, Tlint tlii.s IIoiiso has liiMnl with (U'cp iv;;rot of the floath oC 
Thomas H. Hkhxkdx, hitc Roprcsciitativc-elect. to this House IVoiii th(^ State 
of Alaliaina. 

Ixcmlvcd, Tliat, as a testimony to his iiU'nior\', tli(M>ti[icrrs and nieniliers of 
tliis House will wear the usual l)ail';e of nionrninf; for the space of thirty 
days. 

Ilesoh-ed, That a eopy of this resolution lie traiisinitteil liy the Clerk of this 
House to the family of the deceased. 

lieHidred, That the Clerk lii' directed to cojumunieate, a copy of tlieso pro- 
ceedings to the Seiiati", and that, as a further mark of respect to thed<(ce,ased, 
this House do now a<l.journ. 



Address of Mr. JoNES, of Alabama.^ 

Mr. Speaker:, As Colonel Herndon's snocessor in tiiis House 
it hecomcs my duty, as his friend it is my privilege, to pay a humlJe 
triiiute of respec't to his memory. His well-known modesty and 
his aversion to everything like ostentation foi-l)id that I should in- 
didge in the language of extravagant praise so common on an oc- 
casion like this. I shall, tlieref ire, in what I have to say simply 
call attention to a <-liaracter of rare symmetry and completeness, 



ADDRESS OF Ml!. JUNES, OF ALABAMA. 5 

ami fiulfavor to liokl n\i to public view the record of a life full of 
honors aiul full of usefulness. 

Thomas H. Herndon was a native of Alabama. He was etlu- 
cateu in the schools and at the University of that State. After 
reading law at Harvard University he was admitted to the bar, 
and thereafter devoted his life and his talents to the service of his 
pcoi)le. He was several times a niemi)er of the legislature. He 
was a delegate to two of the most important conventitms ever held 
in the St^ate. Daring the late war lie was colonel of an Alabama 
retfimeut, and was several times severely wounded in Ijattle. His 
command was engaged in the thickest of the light at ChicUamauga, 
where he received a wound wliich was at the time supposed to be 

mortal. 

In 1872 he was earnestly supported by his party friends as can- 
didate for the office of governor. His friends, who were numerous 
and devoted to him, justly considered him worthy to represent Al- 
abama in the Senate of the United States, and frequently and 
zealously supported him for that exalted position. He was thrice 
returned to represent the Mobile district in this House. After a 
long and honorable career of public service, on the 28th of 
March, 1883, only a few days after his term of service in this 
Congress commenced, he died at his home in Mobile, in the bosom 
of ids family, and in the midst of constituents who were all his 
friends. 

It was my good fortune, Mr. Speaker, to know Colonel Heun- 
Dox well. I knew him at the bar, and in public and private life. 
He was a representative man. He was a type of the best elements 
of his State. Always and everywhere lie was a gentleman. Born 
in Alabama, he had grown witii her growth. He had fought and 
suffered with his people iu war, and in peace he had labored to re- 
store the blessings of good government. He was thoroughly 
identified with the people of Alabama by birth, by association, and 
by common ])ursuits and common sufferings. He knew their 
wants, and was in warm sympathy with their purposes and their 
aspirations. Hence it is not surprising that the people of Ala- 
bama desired that his abilities should not be confined to the bar. 



6 LIFE AND CHAUACTEH OF TUOMAS H. HERNDON. 

II;ul lie lived, it was tlie liope of Ills friends that liis intJiieiiee in 
puhlic att'airs slioidd not be confined to the limits of a Congres- 
sional district, but might sweep out into broader fields of useful- 
ness. 

Colonel Hekxdon was a model soldier, ilkistratintr that rare 
comi)iiuitiou of courage and gentleness which immortalized Sir 
Philip Sidney — 

Milil in iiianiiLT, i'air in Cavoi'', sweet in temper, lieiee in liijlit. 

And in all the positions of trust to which he was elevated in 
civil life lie ixliii)it('d the same modesty and courage that had ren- 
dered him conspicuous in the field. He was true at all times to 
his convictions and never swerved from the path of duty. 

In private life Colonel Hkkndon was modest as a woman, gentle 
as charity, and [Mjssessed a genial magnetism that attracted men and 
bound them to him "as with hooks of steel." While he lived 
laborious days he did not scorn the delight.s of life. But it was in 
the sacred precincts of the home circle that his social nature shone 
with tlic purest luster. Upon his hcartlistone the fires of domestic 
happiness always l)urned brightly. In his home [)eace and love 
were enthroned; there he found an incentive to his amliition anil 
rest from his public labors. licarned and successful as a lawvt^r, 
l)ravc aii<l chivalrous as a soldier, enlightened as a statesman, sin- 
gularly fortunate in all liis family relations, his life was blessed with 
a larger share of happiness and brightened with more of "sweetness 
and light " than usually fall to the lot of mortals. 

I will be followed by other gentlemen whose remarks will show 
in what high estimation Colonel Herndon was held by his fellow- 
Congressmen. It was my desire, and it would have been highly 
gratifying to the family of our departed friend, that to-day's obse- 
(juies should have been graced by the taste and eloi|uence of the 
gentleman from New York [Mr. Cox], but I am this moment in 
receipt of a letter from him informing me of his being confined t« 
his bed by sickness. In this letter he incloses to me a letter ad- 
dressed to him by Mr, John liigelow, formerly our distinguished 



ADDRESS OF MR. FORNEY, OF ALABAMA. 7 

niiiiistiT to France, wliicli coiitaius sciitiiinjnt.s su apjirupriute to 

tliis occasiuii and .so fitly illustrating the utilities of occasions like 

this tliat I send it to be read at the desk. 

Tile Clerk read as follows: 

Ai'iML 10, im\. 

Dkar Mli. Cox : Until to-ilay I Uavu had no u|i|iortiiuity of running through 
the uieuiorial addresses which you were good enough to send me and tor wliich 
please accept my cordial thanks. I thank you not only for sending thein to me 
but for uttering them. Any man who does or says anything to cultivate and 
cherish a respect among onr people for their benefactors gives power to the 
(ioverunient, efficacy to the laws, and new guarantees to public order. In 
doing all this he iu a corresponding degree checks and discourages the satanic 
spirit of detraction and irreverence w ith w hich the privileges of a free press 
are always conditioned. 

Mortnary elo(iuence is neither history nor biography nor criticisuj, but the 
commendation in high places of those virtues which should illnstrate public 
life helps to elevate and sustain the national standard of official duty, and in 
that respect answers a purpose as important perhaps as if it embodied the full- 
ness, the accnracy, and the discrimination of all three. The higher we raise 
the popular standard the more will the i)Cople tind to admire and respect in 
those who have had a part iu shapiug the history of their country. 

The taste and skill with which you bavi! decorated the tombs of yonr de- 
parted friends one at least of your readers gratefully ai)preciates. 

Very truly, yours, 

JOHN lilGELOW. 



Address of Mr. Forney, of Alabama. 

Mr. Speaker : It was my good fortune during the life of my 
decea.sed colleague, Hon. Thomas H. Herndon, to be numbered 
among his friends. We had known each other for more than a 
third of a century. Daring this long period our relations had 
been the most cordial, friendly, and intimate. What I have to say 
ti]Min this sad and solemn occasion I know l)Ut voices the general 
sentiment of the [)eo[)le of his State from the mountains to the Gulf. 
No citizen of Alabama from its organization as a State was more 
beloved, esteemed, or respected. He was a native of Alabama, born 
and raised in the county of Greene, the most beautiful section of 
the South, lying in the heart of the cotton-belt, with its broad acres 
and fertile fields. 



8 LIFE AND CHJU.ICTEI! OF TMOilJS //. HERNDON. 

My colleague wa.s Ijroiiiilil u|) in lln< iniilst ot" a refiiiwl and 
liighly cultivated uumimiiiity. He had all the advantages of learn- 
ing that the country atlorded. He received a cla.s.si«d education at 

his State university ; after graduatiim entered the law scl I <.(' 

("anil)ri(lg(^, Mass. He coiunienced his professional career in (lie 
city of Mobile. His education, training, and natural ability rap- 
idly secured for liim a liigli ]i(isition at the ]M()l)ile liar, then as well 
as now noted for the niinibcr of learned, prominent, and distin- 
guished lawyers. 

Thomas H. Herxdon was a true Southerner; a representative 
man of the Soutii ; tlie soul of honor; chivalrous, polished, and 
courtly in manners; kind and generous iu spirit; conservative in 
temper and action ; coii-siderate of the feelings of others, but brave in 
j)rinciple and true to every trust confided in him. He had occupied 
many ])rominent positions in Alabama. The people of Mobile, 
when he was (piite yonug — in 1857 — knowing his great worth, ap- 
preciating his ability, integrity, and high character, elected him to 
the legislature. During the great excitement which pervaded the 
South in ISiiO he was elected a delegate from Greene Coiintv to the 
(•(invention known a> the secession eonveution of Alabama. lie 
tdiik a [ii-i)niineut position in that body. The result of that con- 
vention was the adoption of the ordinance of secession, on the 11th 
of Jamiary, 18(J], which separated Alabama from the Federal 
I'nion. My colleague votcil for that oi'dinauce. IFe was one of 
those who honestly and conscientiously believed it was right. So 
believing, when the hour «mie for action, thoroughly in feeling and 
sympathy with his people, he joined the Confederate army. ]!y his 
valor, coolness, :urd efficiency in camp and field he was promoted to 
the rank of colonel. He had the entire confidence of the officers 
and men of his regiment; upon many fields of l)attle won the ad- 
mii-ati(jn of his general, who on several occasions mentioned him in 
his re])orts of engageujcnts with the enemy for his bravery and gal- 
lantry upon the field. 

During the war he was twice wounded so severely that he could 
with credit and honor to himself have retired from thearmy ; yet so 
soon as his wouuds were healed, like a true patriot, he would re- 



ADDKESIS OF ill!. FORNEY, OF ALABAMA. 9 

turn til Ills cDiiiiiianil. Tliciv lie rcinaiiied to tlie clusedf (lie war, 
until liis chict' .•-unvnilcri'd ami tlic cause wliicli liu so iiolily and 
gallaiitlv t'spoust'd was lust. Tlio war over, lii.s fortune destroyed 
and g'ine, lie resumed the practice of'liis profession, and soon took 
ranU with the leading lawyers of iii.s State. The people of Mobile 
a^ain called him from private life — -elected him as a delegate in 
1875 to the constitutional convention of Alabama. No one dele- 
gate took a more active part in that convention than he did or had 
more to do in the formation of the present constitution of Alabama. 

In lS7G-'77 lie was again elected to the legislature of his State, 
and was regarded as one of tlie leading members of that body, occu- 
pying the most prominent positions and taking an active part in 
the discussion of all important measures. In- 187!S he was chosen 
a member to the Forty-sixth Congress from the fii-st district of 
Alabama. He had not sought the position. At the time of his 
nomination he was actively engaged in his [irofession, and wa.s fast 
regaining his lost fortune. The people called him and he accepted 
the trust tendered. His course in the Forty-sixth Congress met 
the ap|)roval of his constituents, and he was re-elected to the 
Forty-seventh and Forty-eighth Congresses, serving with distinc- 
tion and ability upon the Committees of Foreign Atiiurs and 
Commerce. 

But, Mr. Speaker, he was not jiermitted to take his seat in this 
Congress. After a long and severe illness, with intense suffering, 
he departed this life on the 28th of March, 1883, in the midst of 
friends, and surrounded by the loved ones at home. Mr. Speaker, 
Herndon has gone from among us ; gone to a better, brighter, 
and purer world. The family circle will miss the kind, tender, 
and indulgent father, tiie affectionate, loving, and devoted hus- 
band ; society, the genial, affable, and pleasant eom])anioii, the 
generous, noble, and true friend; the client, the able, faithful, and 
reliable counselor ; the liar of Alabama, one of its leading law- 
3'ers and brightest ornaments ; the State, one who may be truly 
classed among the bravest of her bi-avc sons, a patriot, a .statesman 
whose garments were unstained, pure, and spotless, one who had 
been faithful to every official obligation duriug his public life. 



10 LIFE AXV CllAUACTEB OF TUUMAS II. IlKltSDON. 

Mr. iS|K'aker, I was ])reseiit at liis Imrial and witiK'sswl tlio uni- 
versal (Iciiiunstration, tliu grand Dutpouring of tlic people of Mo- 
bile to ilo lioiHir to tlieir distingiUKlied Representative, to pay the 
last tribute; of respeet to one whom they liad esti^'Uied and honored 
in life. Fn^ni the clinreh to the eenictery the streets were alive 
with thousands of i)eople, all classes, both raees, the aged and the 
young. The various military organizations, secret societies, orders, 
and associations of the city followed the cortege to the grave. 
Tiiis demonstratiou told unmistakably and truly how he was loved 
at his home. He had lived with them from early manhood; with 
them he had coninienced his prufessional career; they had watched 
his course through lite with pride and admiration. They knew 
him well. They loved liim for his sterling worth, the purity of 
his character, the sincerity of his friendship, for that noble, true, 
generous, and liberal heart that beat within his breast. As we 
stood around his grave there was another pleasing incident. The 
floral otlerings, numerous and beautiful designs of rare flowers, 
covered the casket. After it was lowered to its last resting-place 
and all was over, garlands of choicest flowers, wrought by fair 
hands, encircled his grave. This pure, chaste, and beautiful offer- 
ing from the daughters of Mobile sj)oke more elocjueutly than 
words how he was loved by his peoj)le at home, a j)eople who will 
hold him in nicniory as fragrant as the magnolia groves that line 
tiie bay shore where he now quietly, peacefully, and calmly sleeps. 



Address of Mr. HORR, of Michigan. 

It falls to my lot to do perhaps an unusual thing, and that is to 
talk for a few moments to the members of the House in reference 
to our deceased brother and friend without that preparation which 
is usually made for such occasions. I shall make this attempt 
simply because of my respect for Mr. Hekndon, and my lack of 
preparation arises entirely from the fact tliat my other duties 
have been such that it has been impossible for me to find time to 



JDDIIES.'^ OF ML'. HOliU, OF MICH IG AX. 1 1 

do what I slidiild like to liavc done. Tliereforu whatever I may 
say at tliis tinu', while it may laek the liuish wliieh is due to siieh 
an oecasion, will perhaps have one advant;ige — it will be .sim[)ly 
what eomes into my mind from the memories tliat eluster aronnd 
the name of our departed friend. 

Mr. Speaker, we learn but little of tiie real ehiuireter of men as 
we serve with them upon the floor of this House. What I mean 
is this: That here it is always a soi-t of intellectual arena — a sort 
of fiLdit which sim[)ly brings out one-half or one side of a man, so 
that you mav serve here with a member year in and year out and 
yet know little of the (|ualitics which i^o to make up his real 
character. Some one has said, I do not know who, that no one 
ever knows a ])erson well unless he lives in the family with him, 
sees him in his own home, meets him in the little every-day atfairs 
of life; and I sonietinies think that j)erhaps that is in every re- 
spect true. 

But while we may learn but little of men as we meet thc^ni here 
i'rom day to day on the floor of the House, is it not equally true 
that we do often come to know men well with whom we serve 
upon the active, laborious committees of this House? For two 
years I served with Mr. Hekndon upon the Committee on Com- 
merce. It was a laborious committee. I had there the opportu- 
nity to meet him almost every day of the session ; for in the 
Forty -seventh Congress we were at work constantly in that com- 
mittee. In that way I think I learned more of his character than 
I could have learned by meeting him on the floor of this House 
in perhaps ten years' service. During those entire two years, Mr. 
Speaker, I do not recollect a single instance of anything but tiie 
most pleasant relations between Mr. Herndon and every member 
of the committee. And what is perhaps still stranger, while he 
and I differed as widely as two men could differ on (piestions of 
politics, I do not now remember to have had the least difference 
with him on any question of business, and that committee, as you 
all know, was devoted entirely to business, to the development of 
the business interests of the country. 



12 LIFE ANZ) VHAUACrEli OF THOMAS H. HEUMJON. 

I very well romeinbcr tlie last time tliat I ever saw liini. The 
eDiiiinittee had l)eeii |)i>^t|)i)iiiiig for days matters wliieii pertained 
to his State and disti'ict on arcoiint of his illness in order that we 
minht learn from him his wishes as to the dilferent matters be- 
fore the eoinmittee. He finally came in — feeble, bnt with the same 
(|niet, Miobti-nsive manner that so attached to him every member 
of the eommittee. Aud I recollect as he went over the list and 
pointed out the instances iu which his people were affected by the 
lejijislation we were proposing, how careful and couscioiitious he was 
to demand only what his people ought to have. And I reveal no 
secrets of the committee when I say that iu a list of twenty re- 
quests we adopted without a dissenting voice every one of his rec- 
omniiMidatious. He was a safe man to follow. He was a man 
whose head was always level, and whose judgment was accurate on 
(piotions of public business or [)nblic policy. 

Some of vou trentlemen around me hero who were his nei<rhbors 
will no doubt s])eak of Mr. 1Iei!NDon as you knew him socially. 
I knew nothing of his family relations; but from my intimate ac- 
quaintance with him during those two years of laborious couimittee 
service I feel the utmost confidence in saying that he was a kind 
father and an e.vcellent husband. Aud when yon have said that 
of a man you have said more than when you call him a statesman. 
A great many men have been statesmen who have not been the 
i)est of citizens. But there was never a man who was among the 
best of citi/.ens, a kind fiither and husband, who might not have 
been, if given the opporttuiity, an excellent statesman. 

I look back upon my relations with Mr. Hekxddx as among 
the pleasant recollections of my life. I revere his memory sim[)ly 
for those (piiet, sterling ipialities which in «nv every-day life wo 
recognize as the elements that dignify and ennoble tin; character of 
men in the genuine relations of life. More than this I could 
hardly say of any one ; less than this I could not say of my friend, 
Mr. Heiixi^ox, and do him justice or do justice to my own feelings 
toward him. 



ADDIIESS OF MR. DOWD, OF NORTH CAROLINA. 18 



Address of Mr. DoWD, of North Carolina. 

Mr. Spe.xkkr: It is related of an eininciit Eiii;lisli statesman 
that being about to sit for his portrait he was interrogated bv the 
artist witii referenee to certain splotches on his face, wlietiier they 
slionld aj»pear in tiie pietnre or not, and lie answered with enijihasis, 
"Paint me as I am, blcinislies and all." And when the late Gov- 
ernor Graham, of my own State, liad delivered a wcll-eonsidered 
eidog\- upon the life and eliaracter of Hon. George E. Badger, be- 
ing asked why he iiad not been more fuLsome and ornate in his 
descriptions and characterizations, iiis reply was : 

If was iKit Miy inirpose to see what a tiaming iiiotnre I coulfl draw, nor to 
make a giaiKliUxiiii'iit skftcli "f an iilcal oiator, lawyer, statesman, suited to 
no one in particular ; Init I was trying to descrilie George E. Badger just as 
lie was, to draw a picture that would look like liini and noliody else. 

So in this instance. The highest eulogy tliat couhl be j>ro- 
nounced upon TiioiiA.s H. Heundox would lie to describe him 
just as he was. 

W'liether as the youthful orator in his graduating speech, de- 
claiming in tones of thrilling and fiery eloquence upon that patri- 
otic sentiment, "Our country, right or wrong;" whether as the 
slender and handsoiue bridegroom, twenty years of age, leading to 
the altar a lovely bride of only sixteen summers; whether as the 
young husband and father, kissing adieu his wife and children 
and hastening to the front at the .sound of war; whether Jiftini'- 
his voice above the din of battle and dauutlessly leading his com- 
rades into the very vortex of destruction and death, or lying upon 
a soldier's couch, pale and exhausted from fracttu'cd lind)s and loss 
of blood; whether thouglitful and grave over the problem of re- 
construction, or bearing down carpetbagism with tiie terrific force 
of his invective and ridicule; whether as the young barrister or 
matnrer lawyer, whether in victory or defeat ; whether rolling in 
pain and tortiu'c at his hotel while a mcmlier of tiiis House, or 
crac^king jokes to groups of members and pages in the corridors 
and behiiKJ the railing in tliis Hall, wherever he was, whatever 



14 J.rrE AND CHARACTER OF THOMAS H. HERNDON. 

he was doing, his iiiglicst praise, liis best eulogy would he to iiokl 
him up before tiie public and let him appear ipsum, ipsiftsimuni, 
Thomas H. Herndox, just as he was. 

It is not my purpose to make any extetided sketch of the life 
and public services of the dweased, nor to dwell at length upon 
the topics suggested by this occasion. I sliall onlv refer very 
briefly to some of tiie leading events in his life and mention a 
few of his many excellent traits of character. 

His father was a Virginian, born in Spottsylvania in 1794. 
At the age of sixteen he came to Washington to seek employment 
and formed the friendshij) of Gales & Seaton, of the old National 
Intelligencer, and retained that friendship miabated through life. 

His inotl)er was a daughter of Judge Henry Toulmin, of an 
old English fiimily who fled trom the persecutions of the reign of 
till' Second James and sought repo^^e as well as political and reli- 
gions liberty in the new colonies, settling first in Kentucky and 
afterward npon tiie Tombigbee, in Alabama. Judge Toulmin, 
the maternal grandfather, was a man of marked ability. In Ken- 
tucky, in early life, he was secretary of state and c()iii])iler of the 
laws. In Mississippi, a few years later, he ocen])ied a high judi- 
cial station, and won great distinction by his decisions of questions 
then attracting the attention of the whole country. And still later 
in life he held high positions in the State of Alabama, being en- 
gage<l, as the last work of his long and useful life, by the legisla- 
ture of that State to make a digest and compilation of its laws. 

Tii()M.\s H. Hei:.\]>()N was born July 1, 1S-2.S. His father 
was a successful iiiercliaiit and fanner, having settled after leaving 
Washington on the Black Warrior, in Erie, (ireen County. 
Thomas was a bright and intellectnal iioy and had good advan- 
tages. One of his first teachers was Judge Sam Houston, still 
living in Wississiiijii. Having taken a preiiaratory course at La 
Grange, he entered the sophomore clas.s in the University of Ala- 
bama at the age of seventeen. Gradn.ating with distinction in 
1S47, he went in Se])teinber of that year to Harvard College, 
Cambridge, Mass., where, in July, 1848, he took his degree of 
l)achelor of laws. In Dcci'inber, IS IS, he was married, i)cing only 
a little more than twenty years of age and his bride sixteen. 



ADDRESS OF MR. DOWD, OF NORTH CAROLINA. 15 

Mrs. Herndon, tiis excellent and devoted wife, is a daughtei- of 
Dr. Ahrani Franklin Alexander, an eminent physician and a Nortli 
Carolinian by birth, whose ancestors for several generations lived 
in the connty of Mecklenburg, which I have the honor to repre- 
sent in this Honse and to call my home. Dr. Alexander was the 
grandson of Abraham Alexander, the president of the series of 
meetings which formulated, and of the convention which in May, 
1775, promulgated the Mecklenburg declaration of independence, 
more than a year in advance of the national declaration of July 4, 
1776. 

Mr. Herndon early took an interest in politics. In 1851 he 
was the nominee of the Democratic party for the legislature, and 
though the county had a large Whig majority he was defeated by 
only a few votes. In 1853 he moved to Mol^ile and becauic a 
member of the law firm of Chandler, Smith & Herndon, wliich 
had a large and successful practice. He was elected to the legis- 
lature from Mol)i]e in 1857, and was a member of the secession 
convention in ISfiO. On the breaking out of tlie war lie entered 
the army with the rank of major, and was soon j)romoted to that 
of colouel, and was twice severely wounded. After the close of 
the war he returned home and resumed the practice of the law, but 
soon became again engaged in politics. He was among the fore- 
most in that desperate struggle which resulted in wresting the 
State of Alabama from the hordes of carpet-baggers and pliuiderers 
who had obtained control in the dismal period of reconstruction. 

In 1872 he was the Democratic nominee for governor of the 
State, reci'iving the full party vote, but was defeated by a small 
majority. In 1876 he was again a member of the legislature, and 
had a considerable following for United States Senator in tiie Dem- 
ocratic caucus when Senator Morgan was noiiTinated. He was 
elected a Representative to the Forty-sixth, Forty-seventh, and 
Forty-eighth Congresses, and died on the 28th day of March, 1883. 

My acquaintance with Mr. Hernpox began with the Forty- 
seventh Congress, and knowing him somewhat intimately I should 
say his most prominent characteristic was his extreme aniiabilitv 
and mildness of temper. His cheerfidness seemed ne\<'r (o desert 
him. 



16 LIFE AM) CIlAUACTEIl OF THOMAS H. HERNDOJ^. 

A long, painful, tunl liopeioss illness did not rendt-r him morose 
nor drive awav the softness and sweetness of liis disposition. And 
vet he was fond of life, and had the keenest relish of its pleasures. 
An earnest and faithful worker in whatever he had to do, he wits 
yet fond of amusements, and keenly enjoyed his hours of recrea- 
tion. Patient of labor, enduring with fortitude the ciires and toils 
of life, li2 did not scorn its delights nor refuse to pluck a rose on 
Ids pathway because, forsootii, lie might encounter a thorn. He 
seemed to appreciate the ]>hilosophy of life and pleasure as ty]>ified 
in (he tamiliar stanzas: 

Tbere's a rip|>le "f iliyinc 

Oil the ii\i'r of time, 
As i\ lioats thro' the years and thi' ajjes, 

And a snnny ^U'ani 

Or a gcdden dream 
On I hi' saddest of life's sad pages. 

Tliere's a s,-vd refrain 

To the sweetest strain, 
The longest day soon closes; 

And so we'll take, 

For their sweet sake, 
The thorns 'mid life's sweet roses. 

Till' da.\li^ht fades 

In deejiesl shades, 
.\nd life has many phases; 

Till' falling dew 

And snnlieams, too. 
Make lintlereiips and daises. 

In his friendships lie was both anient and steadfast. Warm- 
hearted and genial, close and confidential witli his friends, he muted 
dignitv with complaisance in that rare proportion wliii-h at once 
commands the highest respect and tiie warmest affection. It was 
only the beantifid and the good in the world that .seemed to have 
any affinity for him. It was impossible for him to have an 
enemy, :is there was no place in his heart for envy or hatred or 

malice. 

To Ills life has llow'd 
From its mysterions nrn .i s.u red stream. 
In whose ealm deplli tiie lieautiful and pure 
Aloue are ndrror'd. 



ADDRESS OF MR. DOWD, OF NORTH CAROLINA. 17 

With all this geutlene.ss aud softness of" heart he adhiTcd to jn-iu- 
ciple with the firmness and heroism of a stoic, and he was as open 
and frank with au adversary as he was close and confidential with 
a fricnil, "as gentle as a woman — as stalwart as a grenadier." 

In his marriage he was most f'ortnnate. His wifi' was indeed a 
helpmeet for him. Engageil when lie was nineteen and she fif- 
teen, it conid have Iteen nothing but a love match; and no two 
hearts could have heen more closely united, or \\\u dispositions 
more perfectly assimilated and blended than theirs. Much of his 
success in life was due to the strong sense and inspiring devotion 
of his faithful wife. In the field of his enterprises and labors she 
was ever his bright incentive;' in adversity, his stay and sup]><u't ; 
in the hour of triumph she was his pride and his joy ; and in afflic- 
tion and sorrow his solace and comforter. 

As tiieir vdung hearts were cemented in the enchanted season of 
early love, so their wedded life seems to have been an unbi'oken 
.spell of love. Theirs was truly a lovc-lif'c. In a recent letter 
written with reference to this occasion, ]\lrs. Herndon uses this em- 
phatic language: 

I feel that I slioiiUl lie more resigueit to God's will in this sail licreaveiiioiit 
because of tlie louj;, liappy, and blissful life I have enjoyed. 

To them love must liavc lieen the morning and evening star and 
the bright bow to span all tiie dark clouds that overhang tiie jour- 
ney of life. It b!a/ed upon tiie marriage altar and shed its radi- 
an<-(' upon the peaceful tomb.- In their home it was the source of 
beauty, the parent of melody, and its voice was nnisic. It was the 
builder of their every hope, "the magician that changes worthless 
tilings to joy and makes right royal kings and (pieens of common 
clay; the jierfume of that wondrous flower, tli(^ heart — a .sacred 
passion without which we are less than beasts and with which earth 
is lieaven and we are gods." 

Mr. Speaker, there is no appeal from that inexorable decrees which 
dooms ns all to death. Cienerations f>f men will apjiear and disaji- 
pear as spring and autumn and day anil night, and the multitudes 
whii-ii now |)eo])le tli<' earth will soon lie gone as tiie Higiit of spai'- 
rows or tlie mists of tiie morning. Deatii is the antagonism of life, 

2 HE 



18 LIFE AND CHAIIJCTEI! OF THOMAS H. UERNDOX. 

and tlie thought i)f tlic toinl) is tlio skeleton at every feast. We do 
not want to go down into the dark valley, aUliough its gloomy jias- 
sages may lead to perennial sunshine and happiness — 

For ill tlial slccii of death what dreams may come, 
Wheu we liavo shulilril off this mortal coil, 

Must gi ve us pause. 

« # ^ t tt 

The dread of soiiiethiiif; after death, 

The uudiscover'd eoiiutry, from whose lioniii 

No traveler returns, puzzles the will; 

Aud makes us rather liear those ills we have. 

Than tly to others that we know not of. 

The hope ol' imiiKirtality was eloquently uttered hy the death-de- 
voted Greek in the beautiful dream of " Ion," and finds a deei) re- 
sponse in overv thoughtfid heart. When about to yield his life a 
.sacrifice to fate, his Clenianthe asked if they shoidd meet again, and 
his response was, " Tiiat dreadful question I have asked of the 
hills that lo<ik eternal, of the clear .streams that flow forever, of the 
stars among wlio.se azure fields the raised spirits walk in glory." 



Addi-ess of Mr. CuLBERSON, of Texas. 

Mr. Speakkr: The history of the liii' and eminent career of 
Mr. Herxdox has been well told by those wlm have preceded me, 
and I come now only to express my .sorrow for his lo.ss and to offer 
a brief but sincere tribute to hi.s virtues and hi.s memory. I was 
reared in the State of Alabama, and from my earliest boyhood what- 
ever ha,s concerned the well-being and honor of that State or the 
character, virtues, and lives of her ])romincnt men has been of great 
interest to me. 

Although I had never met Mr. Herndox until the organization 
of the P^orty-sixth Congress, his character and ])ul)lic services were 
well known t<i me. I was jireparcd to ajiprcciate his inestimable 
worth. Our personal acipiaiiitancc began with that Congre.ss, and 
our relations soon became most intimate and friendly. He was 
my friend, and when his bright life chised in death T sincerely de- 
plored his loss. 



ADDRESS OF MR. CULRERSON. OF TEXAS. I 9 

Mr. Herxdox was im ordinarv iiian. In private and social lifi? 
liL' was a charming companion. He was tlie piido anil ailiniralion 
of everv circle of friends. His finely cnltnred mind, the warmth 
and frankness of his genial natnre, and his pleasing manners gaxc 
him a cordial welcome to every .social circle. Indeed, in every ele- 
ment that ennobles luinian natnre none excelled him, and no one in 
all the range of my ac(|uaintanee seemed to possess in snch a re- 
markal)le degree all of those qnalities of iiead and heart that make 
hnman natnre lovable. There was no station in life for which he 
wa.s nniitted,and none filled by him he did not adorn by his learn- 
ing, emioble by his virtne, and endear l)y his genial dej)ortnient. 

He was a thcniiigh and aceonii>lished lawyei', and was greatly 
devoted to his jprotession. At the very ontset of his professional 
career he took raidc among the ft)remost members of the bar of 
Alabama, then and now renowned throngliont the Sontli for 
its thorough learning and integrity. His mind was incisive, ana- 
lytical, and thorongh. Thongh he ])0ssessed genins of the highest 
order, he reached his conclnsions after patient consideration, and 
when reached he had tiie courage of his convictions, and main- 
ttiincd them with all the fervor and ])ower of his natnre. He was 
indeed an ornament to the legal profession, and his career as a 
lawyer is worthy of the highest emulation. 

As a soldier serving the " lost cause" his noble chai'acteristics 
shone resjtlendeiitly. Whether in the ])ride and |)om|iof the o|)en- 
ing of the great struggle between the sections, in the suffering and 
privations of actual war, upon the battle-field, or in the gloom 
and disaster of defeat, he was the same true, hopeful, and devoted 
patriot, beloved by all. In all the ranks of that great army tiuit 
went to l)attle inspired by what it deemed a patriotic duty there 
Mas none gentler, braver, truer than the lamented Herndox. 

His name in camp and field was the synonym of all that is heroic 
in courage, n(ji)]e in iiatriotie devotion to dutv, magnanimous in 
victory, or ho|)eful in defeat. He loved his home, his native State, 
with more than filial devotion, and served her cause in peace and 
wai' with all the enerjjy of iiis tireless nature. When the noble 
ileeds oi' the sons of Alabama in that irrcat stru"o-le shall be 



20 LIFE AND CBAUACTEl! OF THOMJ.'i H. HEIiXDOy. 

gathered up by the historian tiuri' will lie no in-ighter, purer, or 
l(tvelier chapter tiian that wiiieii shall record the sacrifices, the 
unselfish love of home and country, the indomitable courage and 
fortitude of her gifted son \vhos(> virtues \vc commemorate and 
whose death we now deplore. 

His devotion to Alabama cost him years of jihysical pain, and 
finally his life. A wound received upon the battle-field shattered 
his frail form. Surgery was powerless to repair the injury. Year 
bv vcar he walked in the very sliadow of death. At last, in the 
meridian of his useful life, his spirit yielded to the conqueror, and 
one more victim lay upon the altar of patriotic duty. 

\V!i(>n the war closed Mr. Hkrxdox returned to his home in 
the lovclv city of Mobile and resumed the jiracticc of the law. 
The vicissitudes and results of the war had swept away his fortune. 
He c;irried the wound which daily wasted his vital energies, l)ut 
neither adversity nor jirivation, nor wounded health broke his 
maulv spirit. Success crowned his toil. 

He was not, however, permitted to enjoy but for a short time 
the quiet and comforts of jirivate life and the undivided jnirsuit of 
his profession, so congenial to his tastes and nature. Alabama had 
entered ujion the most critical ])eriod of her history. She was in 
the jaws of reconstruction. The wisdom of his counsel was de- 
manded in the service of the State. With that self-denial which 
ever characterized his eventful life, he abandoned his private busi- 
ness and entered the legislature of Alabama. This occasion forbids 
allusion to partisan or political subjects that would mar its solemni- 
ties. In the presence of a common loss and a universal grief the 
voice of partv is jiushed, and eulogy records the merits which all 
alike concede. His election to Congress was a fitting recognition 
of the great service he rendered his people and State in the days of 
their trial, and with what industry, fidelity, and intelligence he 
served his constituents his colleagues bear willing testimony. 

Mr. Herxdox was not a ])olitician in the ordinary acceptation 
of that character, but he was a scholar, an accomplished lawyer, a 
brave and generous soldier, and cidtured statesman. He scorned, 
as luiworthv his noble nature, the ordinary arts of the politician 



ADDIIESS OF MI{. BEMDEESON, OF ILUXOIS. 2 1 

ami tlie iiiisleading artitices of thu ik'iiiagogue. He wa- a profuund 
and independent thinker. His trail and wasted pliy.'-ieal condi- 
tion in some degree unfitted liiiu for an equal part in the usual 
tnninituary proceedings of tho House of Representatives, but in 
all those departments of labor devolving upon a member of Con- 
gress ill which laws are primarily shaped and policies determined, 
in the council chambers of committees, in [)arty conferences, he was 
the peer of any member who sat with him upon this floor. 

Mr. Speaker, the family circle, composed of husband, wife, 
daughters, and sons, broken by the death of our frieud, was a true 
type of domestic happiness. Whatever of the gloom of adversity 
obtruded upon it, whatever of disquiet and solicitude invaded its 
sacred precincts, was speetlily expelled by the presence of its head. 

His countenance was sunshine itself; his voice the expression 
of confiding love, and his deportment, under all circumstances, the 
oflspriug of the nobility of human nature. 

He was a devoted husband — gentle, kiud,antl confiding ; a gen- 
erous, indulgent, loving father. All these virtues, and more, im- 
pressed themselves u])on the modest home of that bright and hajjjiy 
circle. The gloom which now enshrouds that once happy home 
tells in unmistakable language the irreparable loss of wife and 
chiklreu, and proclaims in silent eloquence the virtues of the la- 
mented dead. 



Address of Mi\ Henderson, of Illinois. 

Mr. Speaker: It is not my purjwse at this time to speak at 
length of the life and <liaracter of the late Thomas H. Hki;x- 
DON. That has been done by others more familiar with his char- 
acter and better prepared to speak of his many virttles than I am. 

My acquaintance with Mr. Herndon begau soou after he be- 
came a mendter of this body, and was brought about by a simi- 
larity of names, on account of which I often received his letters 
and opened them through mistake, and he quite as often received 
and opened mine. In this way an acijuaintance began between us 
which Ijecame (piite intimate and cordial, so nuich so that it was 
with deep regret and sorrow I heard the sad intelligence of his death. 



22 LiFJi jxn cii.m.icTKi! of tiiomas h. herndon. 

But, Mr. Speaker, I uiily intciHlcil (Hi tliis occasion tu ex- 
press tlic respect wliieli 1 eiitei'tiiiiied for Mr. Herxdon, and to 
say tliat in all my ac(jn:iintance and association with liini lie 
always impressed nie as a man ol liijili and nolile character. 

I never had the honor of scrvinij- with him npon any of the 
committees of the Honse, nor did onr legislative dnties hrinjj us 
in ((intact with each other very often. But 1 had (>[)porttuiities 
to observe, and did observe, his deportment here as a member of 
this Honse, and I always found him to be, as my friend from 
Alabama [Mr. Jones] has said, a jierfect gentleman. He was ijnict, 
dignified, honorable in his intercourse with his fellow-members, 
and able and faithful in the discharge of his public duties. I 
have been impressed with the bcdief that owing to failing health 
Mr. Hkr.vdox never exhii)ited to the House fully tlie ability, the 
high and nianlv qualities which he really possessed. But i'(>rtaiidy, 
Mr. Sjieaker, no one who observed the amiable character, the ex- 
cmplarv life of I\Ir. Her.ndon could fail to respect and admire the 
man for his many noble (jualitics. 

I will detain the Honse but a moment longer. 1 only desiretl, 
as 1 have said, to pay a brief tribute to the memory of Mr. Hern- 
IM)N, and in conclusion will say that I shall always remember him 
as one whose character it was profitable to study. He was a man 
ol al)ilit V and sterling worth ; a gentleman who brought to the dis- 
charge of lii> pui)lic diuie> the highest integrity anil fidelity, and 
we but hoiuir (lurselvcs in ciierishiny; his meinorv. 



Address of Mr. Herbert, of Alabama. 

Mr. Speaker: Thomas H. Herndox wasa typical Southerner, 
one of that class we proudly point to as the outgrowth of South- 
ern civilization. There is not a virtue that embellishes true man- 
hodil tJiat did not find in him a perfect exemplification. 

He was modest as a woman, tender as a girl, brave as a lion, 
generous to a faidt, and, amid all the vicissitudes of an eventful 
life, whether radiant among his friends in the calm sunshine of 



ADDUESS 01' Ml!. HEItBEliT, OF ALABAMA. 23 

peace, or in the vanguard uf his coinrades hreastiiig tlieilai-k .stonu- 
cloiids of war, he was absolutely true to liis convictions of right. 
His cliaractor slione like a star, and like a jilanet in tlie heavens it 
became brijriiter and briuliter as the iiiirlit trrew darker. 

Intellectually he was not so pre-eminent, and yet he was pos- 
sessed of distinguished ability. He was highly efficient as a legis- 
lator and devoted to the interests of his constituents ; but ill health 
impaired his usefulness when a member of this House. He \vas 
a successful lawyer, clear in his perception of legal propositions and 
forceful in their statement. Here as everywhere his character came 
to his aid. He enjoyed the confidence of all men, and this gave 
iiim weight as a jurist and effectiveness as an advocate. In sarcasm 
lie iiad the power to excel, but he restrained liimself. His wit 
sometimes flashed and cut like a faleiiion, but he carried it as a 
sword asleep in its scabbard. The casual acquaintance seldom knew 
he possessed it. He also liad fine executive capacity. In the dark 
days that came upon the South in 1867-'68, when began that 
terrible political struggle which culminated in the great campaign 
of 1874, when of those who believed with him the stoutest hearts 
had lo.st hojie, Herndon came to the front, an appointed leader, 
and to him more than any other was his party in the beautiful city 
of Mobile indebted for the grand triumph it ultimately won. For 
his devotion, his patriotism, his unselfishness, the people loved him, 
and as they loved him so he loved them. 

Mr. Speaker, it has been my melancholy pleasure to attend two 
great funerals. I was at Cleveland, Ohio, wiiere so many of the 
American people were gathered around the bier of the murdered 
Garfield. Never did the pomp and pride and luxury of grief find 
more fitting illustration. As I looked on the vast sea of humanity 
that surged to and fro it seemed as if the North and the South, the 
East and the West had met on one common ground. As the eye 
ran over the floral decorations, it appeared that Mother Earth had 
given up all her flowers that the florist might weave them into forms 
of beauty in honor of a favorite son ; and wlien the black plumes 
waved and the grand cavalcade moved, and Euclid avenue, the 
most beautiful street in America, was packed for miles and miles 



24 rjFE A\l) CHAltACTKU OF TllOMAfi H. IIEIINDOX. 

with the pcocc'ssion, civic ami military, (hat iiancaut wa^ a revela- 
tion — a testimonial to the genius of tlic«l<:ul statesman the like of 
whieii eyi' had never seen before. 

Mr. Speaker, theie was grief there ; the Union was niouniing 
over the victim of llie assassin, lint, sir, there was something 
nxire than grief. Tile ])laee that had i)een vaeate(l was too great, 
ihe occasion was too momentous, tiic elements comprisini;' it were 
too diverse, to pei'mit that vast assemhly to he animated solelv hv a 
single impulse. Even under the shadow of the tomb, though the 
llnill of horror that followed the shot of the murderer yet vibi'ated 
in the heart.s of the peoj)le, there were hope and fear and wonder- 
ment and other impulses contending with the grief that permeated 
that mighty concourse of people. 

Two years later 1 attended the other funeral. It was a beauti- 
ful .\pril morning in a ipiiet Southern city by the sea. No tragedv 
had brought about the death of him we had eonie to bnrv. Ilu- 
ni;ui hands had not assailed, but human aid had been exhausted 
in the elhirt to save. He had died (piietly at home, amid kindred 
and friends, the victim of a slow, merciless, incurable disease. If 
it had bccu po.ssii)le, e.vpectatiou had discounted grief. 

He wa.s not a great orator, whose words had rung over the Union. 
He was not a dead President ; none came out of curiosity to .see 
the fiiee of the great man for the first time; but every home in that 
city seemed as silent as the grave. Its more than thirty thousand 
people had gathered to bury a dear, fiuniliar friend. One impulse 
animated all; everywhere the paraphernalia of woe; evervwhere 
flowers, tokens of affection ; in every face of high or low, rich or 
poor, the signs of sadness and sorrow. It was a touching sight to 
see the merchant, the lawyer, the laborer, the old and the youug, 
the white an<l the coloral man, pa.ss one by one around the coffin, 
each taking a last sad look at the fiice of him who was the friend 
of all. 

And so with mingled grief we laid our dead colleague away to 
sleep among the flowers. Rest thee, Herndo.v ! Your life was as 
beautiful as the flowers of the field, and it teaches a lesson that will 
uot, like them, tSide away and die. 



JDDBESS OF MR. SHELLEY, OF ALAIiAilA. 25 



Address by Mr. Shelley, of Alabama. 

Mr. yi'KAKBE: Thomas Hood Hkkndon was boru at the vil- 
lage of Eric, oil tlio Warrior River, in Grceu County, Alab:uiia, on 
th(! Ist lUiy of July, 1828, and elied at Mobile, Ala., ou the 28tli day 
of March, 1883. He spent his boyhood at the plaee of his nativity, 
surrounded by the best influences of a home abounding in all 
that can refine the heart, improve the intellect, exalt the character, 
and develop manhood. From there he went to the State Univer- 
sityat Tusca]oo>a, where hegraduated in theyear 1847. Hereadlaw 
with Hon. Josepli W. Taylor, a distinguished lawyer and orator, 
and at Harvard, and was admitted to the bar in 1849. He set- 
tled at the town of Eutaw, in his naj:ive county. Before he readied 
the years of maturity he was an ardent Democrat. He took an 
active interest in politics and became associate editor of the Eutaw 
Democrat, of whose editorial columns lu; had entire charge during 
the exciting times of 1850. 

In 1851 he was elected a member of the house of rejireseutatives 
of the State legislature and served for one year. During the 
niontli of September of that year he wrote a series of letters, over 
the signature of "John Taylor of Caroline," to the Montgomery 
Advertiser and Gazette, which exhibitetl hi.s varied learning and 
brilliant literary aftainnieuts. After the expiration of his term in 
the legislature he returned to his home and devoted his time to 
his profession, without any abatement, however, of his deep inter- 
est iu the politics of the country. 

In tlie year 1853 he removed to ]\Iobile, and in the year 1857 
was elected l)y the Denioci-atic party to represent iIol>ile Count v 
in the lower house of the State legislature. He returned to Eu- 
taw in 1859, and was chosen in 1860 a delegate, with Hon. James 
D. Webb, to represent Green County iu the secession convention 
of the State of Alabama. He was conspicuous as a leader of the 
younger members of the convention, among whom were many of 
the most brilliant vounsr men of the State. 



26 /•//■'/•' l-V/' CUAUACTEli OF THOMAS H. UEUSItOX. 

As soon as possible af'tt'r the adjouniinent ot' the (.'onvention he 
entered the Confederate army as major of tlie Tliirty-sixtli Ala- 
l)ama Infantry. He was afterwards chosen colonel of that regi- 
ment and served witli that I'ank until the close of the war. He 
was distinguished tor hiirh courage and gallantry as a soldier. He 
was wounded at the battles of Chickamanga and Atlanta, and sur- 
rendered at ^leridian, Miss. After the close of the war he set- 
tled again at Mobile, where he engaged actively in the practice of 
the law, in |)artnershij) with his brother-in-law, Col. Kobert H. 
Smith, the firm doing the leading practice in the city. 

Colonel Herxdox never shirked the duties of a good citizen ; 
consequently the drafts made upon him by his fellow-citizens, 
which were constant and heavy, were always promptly met. He 
was chosen president of the central council of the Democratic 
partv of Mobile County in 1868, during the Presidential campaign 
of that vear, in which position he disjilayed rare executive capac- 
itv and eternal vigilance. He was nominated by the Democratic 
partv for governor of Alabama in 1872, imt was defeated by Hon. 
P. n. [jcwis, the Republican noniinei;, after a heated campaign, in 
w liich he fully sustained his ix'i)utatiou as a brilliant deliater and 
enlightened statesman. 

In September, 187G, Colonel Heeixdon was chosen by his 
fellow-citizens of Mobile County as one of the delegates to repre- 
sent that county in the constitutional convention which framed the 
present constitution of the State of Alabaiua. He was chairman 
of the committee on the executive department, and the people of 
tile State are probalily more largely indebted to him than any other 
delegate for the compact and methodical manner in which that con- 
stitution now exists. 

Colonel Herndon wjis again elected a member of the house of 
i-cpresentatives of the State legislature from Mobile County, in 
November, 1876, and served as chairman of the judiciary commit- 
tee of that body. He received a very complimentary vote in the 
legislature that year for United States Senator. 

He was first chosen a member of this House in November, 1878. 
He received the nomination from the conveutiou of his party while 



ADDIiJiSS (IF Ml!. SIIELI.EY, OF ALAIIAMJ. 27 

al)S(-'iit fi-Dm the State, witliout .solicitation. He liesitateil to aeeept 
the noDiiiiation, notwithstanding the complimentary manner in 
which it had been tendered, as by its acrejitauce he saeritic(;d a 
large and very Incrative law practice. Tiie record which he made 
diirin"' his .service here is known to the conutrv. 

^Fr. Speaker, with luy feeble w\)rds I feel that T will not be 
able to do justice to the character of ray dead friend. Snl)limc in 
his conrage, e.xalted in his ambition, noble in liis patriotism, pure 
in his instincts, honorable in his actions, true in his friendships, 
Thom.as H. Heiixdon combined in his character more of the 
Ininuiu virtues and graces than any man I ever knew. His cour- 
age manifested itself in the very Ix-ginning of his career, and was 
always a conspicuous element in his character. Born of pure mo- 
tives and lofty aspirations, it sustained him iu the pursuits of pri- 
vate life and in the discharge of public duties, and enabled him to 
do right idways, even in opposition to popular sentiment. Guided 
by wi.sdom and prudence, (juickened by a sensitive conscience, he 
confronted danger when encountered in tiie discharge of duty with 
a calm fearlessness that made him invincible. 

His ambition was of that exalted kind which lifts a man above 
mere personal considerations. He accepted position more to en- 
large his field and increase his powers of usefulness than to gratify 
selfish ends. He w'as not indifterent to popular applause, but he 
never sought it. His highest ambition was to do his duty well. 
His patriotism was instinctive. He loved his country with devo- 
tion. He believed in her republican institutions, and favored the 
largest degree of liberty consistent with the good of societ\- and the 
w(ll-i)eing of the citizen. At the same time he recognized the 
claims of Government upon the citizen, and was ever prompt to 
respond to the call of public duty — to spend and be spent in the 
service of his country. 

In his actions he was ever honorable. His appreciative .sense 
of honor led him to make any sacrifice for its vindication, for he 
was utterly incapable of doing a dishonorable act. In his nature 
he was refined. His instincts were pure, his feelings cultivated. 
He was a rare combination of bi-avery, tenderness, and truth. In 



28 J^-/^''^' ^^1^ cBAiiAcriii; of thumas ii. iiermidx. 

his fVieiiilsliij)^: lie was siiiceru aiul faillif'iil. No man ever enjoyed 
his frien(lsl)i[) wlio was not impressed with the nobility of" iiis ehar- 
aeter and the fidelity of his natnre. His intelleetual attainments 
were of a iiigh order. He did not have that rugged strength of 
intelleet which attracts attention by its bnisqueness rather than its 
force, but his mind possessed all the elements of intellectuality in 
their [)urest form and so well organized that he enjoyed powers 
liir above most men. To thc^se great natural gifts, improved and 
strengthened by industrious and carefid culture, may l)e ascribed 
the large measure of success whi('h he attained in the various 
walks of life. His exalted character, his intellectual powers, his 
extensive and varied learning, his brilliant literary attainments, 
united with his industrious, systematic, and painstaking habits, 
gave him capabilities for usefulness that bore abundant fruit all 
through his active life. 

His life was devoted to publii; interests. He loved his native 
State, and his best years were given to her service. In peace and 
in war liis wisdom and courage have made their impress n[)i)n 
every page of her history. To him as much as to any other man 
in the State are we indebted for the restoration of our government 
to the control of our intelligent and virtuous classes. To his wis- 
dom and i)atriotism we owe many of the wisest provisions in our 
j)reseut State eoustitutiou. 

Alabama will always hold in grateful remembrance the valuable 
services of her gifted son, whose courage so strikingly illustrated 
her manhood, and whose wise counsels contributed so largely to 
her prosperity and the advancement of her civilization. 

My personal relations with C^olouel Heundox cannot be described 
in language. I loved him as I loved my own soul. Drawn to 
him by a mysterions [lower which I could not resist, the feelings, 
aspirations, and secrets of my heart were confided to him with 
perfect fiiith. His tender sympathy was my consolation in the 
hour of my sorrows; his thoughtful advice wa.s my ready a-ssist- 
auco in the hour of trouble. I miss his friendship; I miss his 
love. He is gone ; he is dead. He has crossed over the river and 
is resting gently in the shade of the tree of eternal life. His toils 



ADDRESS OF MR. GATES, OF ALABAMA. 29 

and liis SdiTdW-s air eiuled. He is now gatliering tlic iriiits <if' Iiis 
great and good life. Tiie joys of Heaven are his. 

Dceoratcd witli a ci'own of glory, the reward of tiie virtnes 
wiiich adorned iiis pnre life liere, lie awaits us heyond the grave. 
May God hel]i me so to live that when this life is ended ] ninv lie 
])erniitted to join him in that haven of rest, where tlie friendsiiip 
and love which united us here may ho reviveti and intensified 
thri)ni;ii all elernitv. 



Address of Mr. Oates, of Alabama. 

Mr. Spe.\ker: That day in a man's destiny which is like no 
other is his death day, " a transition out of visible time into invis- 
ible eternity," and if not to he lamented, heeanso the in(>vitahle for 
all, yet it awakens a feeling of awe and deei)est interest in the hearts <if 
all, who must ex])erienee profound sorrow when one of the ln'stautl 
most useful is called hence. After what has been so well said con- 
cerning the character and virtues ni' mv late colleague I ieai- thai 
anything I may add will but mar the beautiful imagerv and pa- 
thetic eloquence which have been expressed in words as perspicu- 
ous, pnre, and select as the characteristics of him whose career tliev 
.so i'aithfully portray. 

But, sir, I knew and loved him too well to remain silent when 
the last sad tributes here in this grand old Hall, where he served 
his people and country long and faithfullv, are being paid to his 
memory. No culogium, however high ; no feeling we can express, 
however deep ; no j)raise we can utter, however extravagant, can 
benefit him now or add to his spotless name; that is as unsullied 
and enduring as the placid waters of the beautiful bav on whose 
shores he lived and loved so well and where his honored ashes now 
repose. 

As the great rock in midoeeau serves as the eternal beacon to 
the mariner, so his solid character stands a model, ohallenirintr emu- 
lation by the yoiuig men of his native Alabama. His schcilarl)- 
attainments and (hdrdUgh elementary training luadc him an accu- 
rate logician and gave him repulatiim as a lawyer. lie was a sensi- 



30 LIFE AND CBARACTEli OF THOMAS H. HERNDON. 

bio talker rather than an eloqnent speaker. He was less mnatc 
than solid. He knew that in this practical age eloquence of speech 
is of secondary importance to scope and variety of knowledge ; but 
the delicacy of his constitution limited his research and hindered 
his progress, (^f medium height, slender stature, and sallow com- 
])lexii)n, his manner, while civil, respectfid, and dignified, was also 
classical, clerical, and pmud, rather than cordial ; hence with those 
who did not know him well he was not popular. I>ut beneath his 
cold exterior there was nowhere a warmer, more geiierons, sympa- 
thetic, or braver heart. 

He was of high social (|nalities. His hospitality and liberalitv 
were bounded only by the extent of his means. If lie had a fault 
— and who has not? — it was ])r()digality for his family and friends. 
To kntiw him was to love him, and with those who knew him he 
was immensely pujiular. 

Mv ac(|Uaintancc with him i)egan in l.S(i7, and during the four 
succeeding years we served together on the I)cmocratic Stale ex- 
ecutive committee. In compri'licnsivcness and i)readth of tlinnglit 
he was equaled by few, and in executive ability sur]>asse(l by none. 
In 1872 he was my snccessfnl rival tiir (he Democratic nomina- 
tion for governor of Alabama. lint this, instead of estranging ns, 
as such rivalries too fre<]uently do, made us faster friends. Dur- 
ing the sixteen years of our acquaintance our friendship gi-ew 
stronger, and was attested l)v tears at our final .separation. 

Novalis, a German writer, has said that a strong character is 
bnt a completely fashioned will. This found illustration in my 
late lamented colleatrue. His intellect was the servant of his will. 

o 

That deep conviction, tiiat firm resolve, like the electric lanij) im 
the Dome of the Capitol, shed its gentle yet steady effulgence on 
all aroinid him and won their admiration. 

Brilliant intellects with deficient will-power are too often like 
the threads of silver ore which lie scattered here and there, <laz- 
zling and encouraging by their brilliancy and surflice richness, bnt, 
alas! when the deluded miner's expectancy is at its zenith the vein 
vanishes and his hope sinks with it. I>iit that of my dc])arted 
friend — light placer on the surface — deep down was a Conistock 
lode. The strong will is the sti'onii: man. 



ADDRESS OF ME. UILLIAMS, OF ALABAMA. 31 

. His (k'votod wife and grief stricken i)i-plians remain to clierisli 
liis nanus l)ut the loving hushand, tlie indnlgent and tender fatlier, 
tlie trne friend, the brave soldier, the wise statesman, the sterling 
patriot, the perfect gentleman, Thomas Hoakd Hkiindox, is 
gone from ns forever, leaving to his children tlu' richest of all in- 
heritances, a spotless repntation. 



Address of Mr. Williams, of Alabama. 

Mr. Speaker : The relation the cradle bears to the grave, is i)ain- 
fnllv sniigestive,of both their near and natnral kindredslii]>. The 
one, is snceeeded by the other, as snrely as wave follows wave, in 
the ebl) and flow of the tide. Tlie slirieks nshering into the family 
home the one, unerringly foretell their approaching counter resp.mse, 
in the wails at the brink of the other. The one, is the known re- 
ceptacle of our helpless loved ones fbr the time, the other for all 
remaining time. 

In the one, undisturbed (piietude an<l repose, are the conditions 
sought and fostered; in the other, attained in a spell unbroken, by 
our'^most pitiful endeavors. In the one, we dejjosit the opening 
flowers of our love, sweetly dimpling in angelic beauty; in the 
other, their flided and dissolving fornas, distressingly precious, to 
our bleeding hearts. The one, invokes our wakeful vigils, for the 
continued vitality and healthful forthcoming of its loved occu- 
pants; the other, our most agonizing solicitude for their revitality 
and inunortal uprising. Around the one, our hearts carol the lays 
of sweet affection and love; over the other, atford heaven and earth, 
incontestable proof of their depth and devotion. 

This untiring devotion to the sleeping dead, <|uickcns into exist- 
ence an attendant genius, standing upon the prostrate demon ot 
skepticism, dissipating the clouds of his foul doubts, wherewith he 
iiad souo-ht to obscure the light of the star of Bethlehem ; and 
pr.i'-laiming it all around the world, lliat the lovt' enkindled over the 



32 LIFE AND CBAUACTEI! OF THOMAS H. HERXboK. 

cradle, will not expiri- <>r HicUcr, hut ^liall survive with increased 
and increa-sing luster, at and beyond the grave. 

That the divine agency of the grave, in its exercises upon our 
hearts, is to our affection and love, rather that of the crucible to 
the treasures of the i-ofiner. That j)ha>nix-like, rising -from the 
desolation and dust of that sorrowful and instrumental test, and 
free of all base alloy, our affections and love are divinely enstampcd 
with the seal of an immortality, proclaiiNing its birthright in the 
Heaven-ordained resolve to go to our loved ones, by acting out 
through (lod's revealed means a — 

Life tliat shall send 

A challenge to its eiul, 

And when it comes say, Wil( oiiie tVii'iiil. 

That, this Heavcn-oidaincd resolve, grounded in its linn lliunda- 
tion upon the innno\ai)lc rock of ages, nurtures and commissions 
forthward, the invigorated and entwining tendrils of our indestrnc- 
fible affections and love. That, these tendrils, emanating from a 
sacred soil of the heart, not of the earth earthy, and wliercin it is 
the pleasure of tlie <livine Ifusbandman to culture his immortal 
exotics, lap over into the unknown worlil in pursuit of the absent 
loved ones, ins)>ired by the truth of failii's conviction, that — 

Wild in liff's liatlli- lirni iloth stand, 
Shall bear 1io|m''s ten<lel' Mossonis 
Into the silent lanil. 

That, in their ascending and lunarying course homeward, they 
will entwine and thread tlie golden ti'ackwax' of faith, up to tiiat 
hajipy land, that is fiiirer ihau <Iay. 

That, in the sweet by and by, and while awaiting us over there, 
they will be traile<l by a faith, reuniting our hearts in iudissolulile 
ties with the dear loved ones gone before. 

Could the innumerable tendrils of love, wliicii throughout the 
ages have entwinetl their ascent homeward, all lie unveiled to the 
iiuman eve, if for an instant onlv, methinks the domain of space 
would glisten and glitter with their heaven-tinted wefV and woof, 



cell 
ll 



ADDRESS (IF Ml!. WILLIAMS, OF ALABAMA. 33 

wliik' the liomiilless doiiio of tlio iiuinsicms of the lilcst would a[i- 
]ic;ir ill llic cnclKiiiting distance, canoiiicd witli tiicir frlicitoiis i)caiily 
and iiiirivalcd s|)lcnd(n'. 

O, lainl! O, i.-iiid! 

For all till! liroken-lieartod 

The mildest lieialil l>y our l':ili' allotted 

]iecl<oiis, and with iiiveiteil torch doth stand 

To lead us with a fjientle iiand 

l^nto the land of the great ili'iiaited. 

Into the silent land ! 

What fraorant cliistei's of love's iindyiiio- toii<li-ils, would he si 
in that silent laiiil, end)osoinin<i; and end lowcriiio; iti tlieif speci: 
ent witiiliii's the sweet and lo\alile sjiiril of (he late atid li(iiio]-alile 
Thomas II. Hkijndo.n, of Alahama, <'oiild only hedependetit iipiiii 
how inanv tliefe were who caiue to a trtie knowledp' of him while 
dwellitiii' hefe upon the enrth ; for, Mr. Speaker, I hazaril nothino 
in saying to those who triilv knew him, tiuiie eaine to that knowl- 
edge hilt to love hint. 

W'.iidd that within range of suhservieney to my call, slunihereil 
snpernaturid powers, the very iidierent magnetism whereof, when 
awakened, evolved origitial ;ind ehihorate skill, iti the striking ami 
refined tracings, the |)nre an<l delicate touch, and the polished, cor- 
rect finish of snl)jeets, eliciting their tran.scendent dealing. 

lOveii then wotdd I harely he ecjual to the etnergency of jtresent- 
ing him as he tridy existed, than which no tongue or pencil ever 
descrihed a more pleasing and attractive image. Even then would 
T he trammeled with, if not overcome by misgivings of success, in 
an effort to hold him forth to those nnfavored with a knowledge of 
his physical, mental, atid moral outfit, rohcd in the grandeur of his 
finished and vivid portraiture. Powers thus scarcely less than mi- 
rai'ulous ill their exhibitions, should at least be commanded to unveil 
to thiii' enraptured view his stately person, magnificent figure, manly 
fiice, and towering, polishe<l brow, ornamented in the majesty of 
excpiisite features, and wondrous in their enkindleil and enkindling 
ins|)iration. 

Prominent among these gems of nature's royalty, were his eagle- 
lieaming eyes, the luster whereof, was irresistible in the fascinations 
3 HE 



34 LIFE AND CIIARACTKH of THOMAS II. IIEBNDON. 

of tlicir iiiiL'Xcellcd cluunis ; liis liiicly niMrkt'il, well dcfiiuil, ex- 
tended moiitli, wlio.se tliin, seamed, ciMiipressed lips, titteringly 
bespoke volumes, in eharacter and will-power;, his well sot, thor- 
oughly architected, Saxon nose, jaw, and ehin, whose elassie iii()ld, 
significantly indicated their inseparahle attendance upon rare, Inmi- 
nons foi'ces ami well-grounded j)owers. I would alike be dej)end- 
ent \\\Hm that miraculous power, for the ability to depict with a 
vitality corresponding to that of life, his pcneti-ating and captivat- 
ing expressit)n of countenance; his looks, which had something in 
them so snperexcellent and that was so wanting in a name; cx]>res- 
siou and looks, generated and born of, nui'ture<l and matured by 
the inspiring glow and light, illuming and wreathing tiiis blended 
association, this grand a>senil)lagi' .if facial features and jiarts, pro- 
niinuccdlv imixising in the display of his thoroughbred person- 
age — a personage cabnly reposing njion its conscious and unstinted 
strength, as it nnfilded an entirety, end)ipdying the rii'hest and 
rarest jtrofusion of nature's tnibuuuded liberality, ]>riimotiug him 
to liie iiigii rank reserved fir tlu)se eustaniped with her marked 
liivoritism, and sweetly inducing the conviction th;il none was ever 
more fasliione<l, favored, and tinished after tiie divine creative 
image <if his ^[akcr. 

In des|)air of attaining li> the goal of an ambition invoked in 
the interest of a consiimmalcly achieved ])ortraitni'e of him, I find 
nivself renn'tt(d tn the chi'eilcss undertaking, and with fiiltering 
expectations of its fulfillment, of what I crave may at least suffice 
as an acce]»tablv wrought I'cminder thereof — in pursuit of this last 
resort, F allirm, and what was so well known to those acquainted 
with him, that in the |);n-ticulars mentioned, including withal his 
entire mental and ])hysical confiirmation, a total exemption therein 
from anv deformity or blemish, atforded the least significant feature 
in ills prepossessing ;uid brilliant array. In the meanwhile, their 
clustered and ins])iring beauties, their diffused and animating en- 
chantment, seali'd with nature's impress of rare forces and high-lioi-u 
powers, would have invested the most exacting and unyielding 
critic, with a spirit of jiositivc inhibition to all promptings, the 
least suggestive of any change whatever, in a makeup and finish 



ADDRESS OF Ml!. WILLIAMS, OF ALABAMA. 35 

wlici'eiii, all were .so lovably lianuimious, impressively engaging, and 
attractively majestic. 

In his stately jxrson, in liis sinew and muscles, his nerve, ener- 
gies, power, and hottom, Mr. ITeundox, like the eagles or thorongh- 
hred courser, was unenenmhered with any of the dross or inciihns 
resnlling from rcMliuidamy of physical matter. If in his person 
ap]iarent delicacy was to he seen, it may well he remarked it was 
nntraiiuneled witii any latent physical or mental cfTeminaev. Man- 
ifestations nnmistakahle in llieir teachings, altoiinded in the texture 
and tihi'r of his heft and elements, foretelling his ample capacitv 
for active lahoi', thonght, and spee<l, intc^rlinked with corrcsjKind- 
ing |)owers of elastic endurance, and that when hrongiit into fnll 
])lay,tliey would not fail to put upon their highest mettle any and all, 
who essayed in the commendable, if ]ierilous task, of continuing 
alireast with him. 

In his grand figiu'e, he woidd have been a conceded and esteemed 
model ior symmetry to have pursued and cojiied, while in his man- 
nei's, he was so courtly, in his action, so unaffectedly diguilied, and 
in his courtesies of standanl and high iireecling, so sweet, he could 
have been snceessfnlly |)reseuted as their hailed ])receptor, whose 
e\i'ui|)lary tutorag<' would have challenged the profound attention, 
if not the umpiililied a]i])roval of all. Moreover, in the particu- 
lars pertaining to pleasing neatness and {'ommendahle taste and tidi- 
ness, he was what all would have held him to be, a finished ])at- 
lern, dispensing with suggestions of improvement. 

From his bewitching countenance, uniformly flashed and radiated 
a beaming and bright (expression of intelligence, sparkling as the 
diamond. Indeed, he was in every |)articular and essential enter- 
ing into and constituting his elements, iinisli, and jiolisli, naught 
less in his brilliant display and superb exci'llencies, than a verital)le 
diamond of nature in the great nudtitude of the hninan race; one, 
according to our Amei'ican taste, too superexcellent and invaluable 
in its ingredients and composition to be niiss!i])plie(l in associations 
or comparisons with ci-owns of royalty, andvft never more fitly in 
its iuipi'cssive |)lace, than when iuinioi'tallv becleeking the divinely 
I'oval brow of its own niatei'uitv, I)ame Xaturc. 



36 LIFE AND CnABACTEIl OF THOMAS H. HEUNnON. 

Besides, this brigiit, intelligent expression, acijnired new and in- 
creasing luster and attractiveness from a w i(>athe<l and savored 
sweetness of temper, jirofnsely gentle, kind, true, and manly; a 
teni]ier and disposition liigldy relislialile in its refresliing and reviv- 
ifving influences to all mingling and tissociating with him. For his 
was inherently a genial and companionalile nature, enticing and 
luring in its exhilarating savor ami I'ragrancy, insonnich its lia])py 
effects would have lieeu no more ap])arent and palatahle had they 
been suseejitihle to, and substantially realized by its fortunate ri'cip- 
ients, through the tests of their natural senses. 

As a resulting ont-tnrn, a natural and crowning finish to a com- 
bination so uniquely interesting, he embodied and prefaced an iu- 
terwoven beauty of person and countenance, adjudging him I'ightly 
and decreeing him justly to be " a joy forever." This pronounced 
beautv. in which he was so strikingly arrayed, wa.s attractively ar- 
resting, even to the listless observer favored only with a jiassing 
view, and who could not fail to render him the just homage of his 
involuntary admiration. 

Superadded to all this wealth of his enrichment by these most 
enviable jiarts, traits, and characteristics, was his pre-eminence as 
the soul of honor, truth, and unalloyed physical and moral coin-age. 
Indeed, he never looked, sjjoke, nor acted otherwise, and was thus 
marked and unerringlv emblazoned to mankind, insonnich those 
little acted upon by these noble and einiobling attributes, failed not 
to rewignize and appreciate his birthright and divine title to them. 

A most brilliant and eloi)uent son of America, deplorably jjros- 
trated u])on the ground bv the banefid effects of inebriate habits, 
was stnndiled u]>on at night by one, then, now, and likely ever to 
be, the uiost eminent of all her reuowncd jurists. In rejily to his 
apologetic iu<|uirv as to whom he had so regretfully thus offended, 
the recund)ent brother, with eyes peering up into the presiding 
beauties of the evening firmament, and in a voice ringing out in the 
stillv night nnisicitl and touching, responded, "A fiillen star, yet 
beautiful and brilliant in the dust." The star of Mr. Hkrndon's 
beautv and brilliancy, unsubjected to intrusions in the dust, moved 
grandly and triumphantly oi) in the safe and sublime orbit outlinc<l 



ADDRESS OF ill!. IVJLLIJMS, Of .1 BAHAMA. 37 

l)v the Kini; uf all truu nobility for iiatiirc's orilaiii(_(l liaroiis of 
lil>urtv, among wlutiii he stood 1)V divine right a horn and tower- 
ing chieftain. 

His mental parts were pre-eminently appropriate, and exaltedly 
becoming, iu the endowment and adornment of our brother in his 
native dignity and truly majestic display, rather than its so feebly 
and iuadetpiately herewith sketched. His innate and iniperiai 
mental forces, were robustly uuisculai and active. Unconscious of 
l)urden tliercfroni, tiicy were, in massiv ecapability, equal to tlie 
most extended thought, and linking enfon^ing argumentation — for 
he was mentally stout, erectly balanced, and firndy planted i)y 
nature — upon the unwavering feet of an intuitive logician of mag- 
ical skill and power. 

His perceptive faculties, potently penetrating and pcllucidly cleai', 
were marshaled and presided over by no less a luminary than if 
continuously companionated with some morning star, one of a 
glittering host apparently bestudding his intellectual firmament. 
Likewise witii his descriptive forces, equally acted upon from 
the same brilliant canopy, rendering them vividly photographic 
in their nature ;uid verif\'ing action, even so much, the olyect or 
theme he sought to array .seemed present with, and visibly standing 
l)efore you. 

His exhaustless finid of startling and inimitable humor, his Ijlist- 
ering and withering satire, and his soul-upheaving, heart-melting 
pathos never failed to come to the front when occasion demanded, 
nor of robing his subject or theme iu the attire and style suitable 
to, and sufficiently substantial for a full journey down the colunms 
and cun'ents of enduring history. For the lightnings of genius 
flashed from his eyes no less perspicuously, than the thunders of 
eloquence audibly pealed from his li2)s. His sense of the ridicu- 
lous, was simply the keenest of the keen, while his tact in its ex- 
posure, through rib-testing exhibitions, could not have well been 
surpassed. When thus engaged, his memorable part was upheld 
and sustained amid stu-roundings of ludicrous scenery, most adroitly 
arousing, in its arrangement ]>y him, and ]ieformed in a manner 
never to be Ibrgotteu by the multitudes inexpressibly refreshed 
while thrown into unrestrainable hilarity thereat. 



38 LirK AND CIIAIIACTEK OF THOMAS 11. HEHNDOS. 

His fancy, or iinugiiialioii, cni-niscating with tliu brilliancy in- 
fused from liis mental iirniamcnt, and abonndinjily intnitioned for 
all tlie ii'rand pnrposes of ilhunint; with the heat and <;-low of a Pro- 
mc'lhian lin; his mental I'nrnaee, of I'osealing ids snltlimi.' tliouf^hts 
anil ideas in ciilol's and heaiities snitahle to their natnrai dijiiiity 
an<l cori-eetlv ascertained maunitnde, did not, however, sway the 
sceiiler of |)nwer in his well-onlei'ed and solid nn'nd. It was snl)- 
ordiiialed to tile enfurced position of an ever-present and ready 
anxiliary to his sterner, more nsefnl and enduring forces — forces 
wiiicii exhumed and prepared tiie ore, forged and welded the grand 
links, constituting tiio steeled, marvelous, and resistless cliain of 
jionilerous argumentation and fiery logic; faculties ca])able, and 
witii electric thought, of elindnating from his subject, and down to 
tin; bed-rocU thereof, all whatsoever foreign thereto or incongrn- 
ous therewith ; intellectual instrumentalities, fraught with the power 
in their chemicali/.ing action, of dissolving down to its original 
units the constituent elements of that subject, of di\ining and dis- 
jjlaving them, with whatever pertained or related thereto, in all its 
phases and bearings, and with an accuracy, fullness, and power at 
once heralding the presence and dealing of the iiiaster-magician spirit 
of the same; mentalities imbued with Vulcan strength in their 
intuitive gras]> of th(; fruitful and exhaustive results flowing from 
his ])rofoinid investigations and [jowerful analysis; and in their 
;iiii;antic strelch<-- ol his sweeping anil overwh(dniing cond)inations 
thev U|)held, marshaled, and thundered his deductions and conchi- 
sions, with a per>]iicuity and an intensity t)f feeling and thought, 
few if any would dare wantonly to provoke, and fewer still would 
Volunteer to improve. 

No renowned, invincible chiil'tain, ever descried with more un- 
erring certitude the line u)ion which to plant the legions of his 
bristling colnmns for the a|)|)roaching fray, and in more fright ful 
array to the foe, than, with a strategy born of Omnipotence, did he 
align the assemblage of his grand mental marshals pending mo- 
mentous struggles, invoking their rally around his talisnianic ban- 
ner. With a skill tiiat was consummate and a tact that was supreme, 
they were wieldeil and hurled upon the lines of the opposing fbrce.s 



ADDRKHS OF Mi;. \\ILLlAMt<, OF AL.UlAM.l. 39 

witli Iclliii^-oll'uct. Nurt'dmihtalilc kiiij;'lil tipun tlK:ari'ii;i (it'a tour- 
naiiiunt, with his pliiiutid fame runderiiig illustriutis the lej^eiuLs of 
literature, and aetiiig under a cordon of tlie inspiriiitjoycs sparkling 
from the cireles of assembled heautv and graci', ever ilisjilaved a 
more gallant mien and eliivahic (onrage, than did lie inivcil, when 
baring his helmet to the foe, he piiised his trenchant blade, l)i'aced 
upon the lion-hearted breast of his inddniitable will-power, and 
crowneil with the daiuitless majesty of his own native granilenr. 

Powers so angust and knightlv in their i)rilliant array and ac- 
tion, so pronounced and defiant in their development and out- 
come, could have been no otherwise than manitestly and essentially 
Hereidean in their origin. Their pre-eminen('e, however, was aug- 
mented in no inconsiderable degree, by being the stalwart factors 
of a mind thoroughly organized and ramified in its tuibouiided 
area, height, and <lepth — factors rarely C(jmbined in one, whose 
unification was properly a notice to mankind of increase in their 
sc|)ai'ately foiiiiidablc, but when aggregated, their then accumula- 
tive and aggressive fiirce. They were crowned with the prowess 
of a signal and rigorous training by, and a royal investiture in, the 
classic armory of thorough, finished, scholastic attainments. Thus 
armed and e(]uip|)ed with all the needful instrumentalities for what- 
ever contests might arise, however heated, or to the hilt, if you 
please, he stood ever ready for the combat, ;uid with his incisive 
wea' ins flashing with the burnished iwlish resultant from a 
t' .rough research, a profound investigation, and a wise understand- 
ing of his subject. 

Mr. Speaker, generations will come and go, before xVlabama 
again may be able anil ei|nally so fortunate, as to honor this Hall 
with the presence of another such son, another rarely endowed, ex- 
(jiiisitely adorned, and wisely matured TilOMAS H. Heuxdux; one, 
whose dutiful bearing toward and in her behalf, wa-s without com- 
plaint or reproach, and above susj)ieion ; one, whose recognized re- 
latit)ns to her, whether a.s a private citizen or a public servant, 
whether she was engulfed in the horrors of war or blissful in the 
possessii^n of [jcace, whether reveling in prosperity's outturn or 
cast into the pits of adversity, could have been rendered no more 



4U LIFE AST) CHAIl.irriCI! OF THOMAS H. HEBNDON. 

|>iiit', true, mid filial in its sacivdly i'lilfillctl (>i)ligatioii.s and devo- 
(ii>n, tliuii it' borne toward the alleetionate and honored mother of 
his hirth ; one, who ever stood eahnly ready to lanneli, with a 
heroiwrn rivaling that oC tiie liravest of the brave, his earnest, 
honest, and tireless endeavors, even to the extremity of the pledge 
of his life, fortune, and saered honor, in tlu' defense of her rights 
ami the [ireservation of her untarnisiied tiime, who was ever saga- 
cious, wise, fearless, and faithfid in all iiis aets in that behalf, ever 
nnswerved or moved therein i)y sellish considerations, other than 
those conspiring to iier growth and ]irosperity, ever uneraniped or 
acte<l up<in thereby, through any personal ambition, otiier than in 
so far as it promised to promote her honor and glory, embedding 
his danntless stand unyieldingly by her fortunes and honor, he 
contended with all the power of his regal forces for, and by every 
honorable method attainable, enforced, enlarged, and elevated her 
material, civil, social, and ])olitical existence and libci'ty, as a great 
American ( 'ommonweallii, her twnstitutional duties, rights, privi- 
leges, and imiinmities, as a proud State of tiiis grand family union 
of States. 

His unwavering devotion to, and untidtt-ring endeavors for the 
tjood and glory of his own Commonwealth, were not without their 
correlative blessings alike to all the other States; for tlu^ wliole- 
some well-licing of no member of the body politic could well be 
promoted, without a resulting good therefrom to the entire mem- 
bership, even when not so intended. But, sir, it would-be a raidv 
injustice to his revered memory, for lodgment to be suifered a con- 
viction, that the fervid patriotism, generating, nourishing, and raatur- 
ing this sublime devotion to, this unbounded interest in the general 
wel liire an<l JKiuor of his own State, was confined alone to her borders, 
or t hose of her soil. > 

^'ot wishinir to encumber vour time with a recital of his manv 
private and public acts, and whose very essence was frauglit with 
overwhelming refutati()ns of an implii'ation his instincts woidd 
have scorned, and rebelled interminably against, allow me, with 
all becoming modesty, to suggest that the patriotism, like ciiarity, 
its parent stem, which distills its benign iuiiuences and blessings 



ADDRESS OF Ml!. niLLIAMS, OFALAUAMA. 41 

profusely tliroiiglimit tlii' thiesliolds nf its uwn borders, is tlic alone 
one ever yet coiuinissione<l by nature and euuntersigned by Heaven 
for a journey abroad; for that philaiitliropie visitation on which it 
was his bold and fond delight actively to engage, whose confines 
were never less contracted than the bounds of his own glorious 
country — yea, from the outposts of whose bounds, it was his e([ual 
satisfaction, uurefraiuingly to wing his fruitfid thoughts and bliss- 
ful conceptions in the interest of the entire human family of the 
world, sj)eeding them to an uncalled halt, at the line defincil bv 
Deitv, as the exterior boundary of all finite advances; a boundary 
presenting, not only an imj)a,ssable barrier to all finite efforts, but 
also, clearly defining the line of separation between the realizing 
present and the mysterious, unknown future, and whose alone ex- 
tended limits, constituted the only pent-up Utica, known to his ag- 
gressive spirit in its towering career of his grandly supercndowed 
powers. 

The sunbeam sparkled with no more brightness to his radiant I've, 
liian to his illumeil mind, flashed and glittered, the grand ti'uth and 
its essential philosophy, so sublimely expressed 1)V Uritain's world- 
renowned bard, when into words his pen ingemiiied the undying 
utterance that — 

Heaven from all creatures hides the book of fate, 

All but the pa};e ijrescribed, the present state ; 

From brutes what iiieu, from ineu what angels kuow. 

Or who could suffer being here below? 

The lamb thy riot dooms to bleed to-day. 

Had he thy reason would he skij) and play? 

Pleased to the last, he crops the llowery I'ood, 

And licks the hand, just raised to shed his blood. 

Oh! blindness to the future kiuilly given, 

That each may tread the road marked out by Heaven, 

Who sees with equal eye, as God of all, 

A hero £ierish, or a sparrow fall ; 

Atoms or systems into ruin hurled, 

And now a bubble burst, and now a world. 

If in my feeble efforts thus far made in the displavof our l)idther, 
you have failed to see him, gra])pling in tireless heroism with all 
the difficulties and troubles encountering the usefulness and honor 



42 I-IIE ASD ClfJU.ICTEl! DF THOMAS II. HEnyUVS. 

of liis pathway in lil'u ; it' yoii liavu not seen liini, siaiuliiig iipon 
and niastc'i- of tlio liiijjlK'st eiuinoiifi; of luinian tliuiiglit attainable 
l>v finite caj)aeity ; if yon have not seen him, In the tlirues of a 
H'enins; pressing roslivcly npon the limits prescribed to finite en- 
deavors for room wherein to atl'ord vent to cramped powers, with a 
mettle, pli vsieal, mental, and moral, no counterfeit in mankind could 
face, any more than darkness can confront the silvery dawn of linht ; 
with a devotion to riyht calmly inisliakcn l)y the j)r()spects of im- 
mediate death ; witli a disinterested care and concein for the well- 
being of liis species, obscuring self entirely from view, then, and 
indeed, have I failed to remind you whatever of him. These were 
priceless nuniiments of his more than enriched heritage. Tliey 
were his birthright, dcsceiuling as heirlooms from an ancestry who 
preserved them unimpaired and untarnished, and by him they have 
been alike transmitted to his own blood. 

lie descended from a lineage immortalized, more than a (juarler 
of a centurv ago, bv William Lewis Ilerndon, of the United .States 
Navv, who seah.'d his devotion to duty with his life while in com- 
mand of the mail steamshi]) Central America. That noble sire, of 
the lin<s ot' lineage from whiiice our brother hailed, had passed 
through a terrific hurricane at sea only to find his craft disabled and 
irremediably siid<ing. Eliciting aid from some small vessels, hap- 
pilv in sight, he cHbcted the .safety of about one-1'oiutli of the six 
hundred passengers and crew altoard the doomed craft, and to ime 
thus escaping from lier dej)lorable fate, he committed his watch and 
other keepsidvcs, consigned to his wife, then a residerit of this city, 
and the mother of the late and lamented con.sort, of our present and 
highly esteemed most excellent President. 

'Hie abandonment of his sinking craft, with nearly five hundred 
souls yet remaining aboard and un])rovi<led for, was so wholly 
at variance with his keen sense of the honor due to his country's 
service, that ho reuiaineil upon her deck, wedded in death to his post 
of dutv. The last .seen of him by those escaping a watery grave 
through the aid of his unselfish and supremely noble nature, was 
his i)Foutl person, clad in the full uniform of his rank and service, 
erectly standing at the wheel-house of his fast disappearing steamer. 



ADDUESS OF ill!. WirjA.lMS, OF Al.MiAMA. 43 

III iliis |iiisiti(iii, uiiilaiiiik'il lie stoDil, until tin,' watcr.s liad pa-si'd 
liver and closi'd liircver iVoni tlicir view this comiiiandor dl lici'iiic 
liMidi In iani;iiagc .sonicwluit after tliat u^ anotiicr, may I not 



llllHIl 

.SUV 



While lii^ asked nut tliiit I'liiiic slunild Iiis merits reliearse, 
Tliiiiiuli lii^ iiskuil luit a shaft to he s<iil|iture(l iu viTse, 
file udild l>elie]d, in his stand, as ho gave \\\^ thef;host, 
lilniiil, heroic to tln^ last, wlien he went down at his post. 

Among tliu "full many oom.s of purest rays serene, the; tIarU uii- 
falliotiied, caves of ocean" will reveal to the light of the last dav, 
none will measure liigher in the peerage of deathless devotion to 
the ])ost of duty, (!ver the post of honor, than that of M'illiam 
Lewis Ileriuhin. 

The lilnsli of >liaiae should mantle the fair elieeU of our coiintry 
at the thought, that inilil this day, no monumental Iriltnle has heen 
reared to the imjierishaltle memory of one, who hehl that eomitrv's 
hiiiKir infinitely higher than he did his life. 8uch was the heroic 
Mood coursing the blue veins and animating the big heart ami 
brainy jiowerof oiir deceased brother, the deserved kinsman of the 
imiiKiital commander of the ill-fated XJeiitral America. 

Sir, may I not, without the indulgence of any tuidue pride, 
mingle congratidations with my condolences to Ahibama, in her 
good fortune to have aff()rded this House, and the world, a specimen 
of our race so rare, noble, and comiiu'iidal)le '.' .Viul whose relation 
to her, be it said to her honor, though it may add to the |)oignancy 
of her grief, " was to the manner born." His Ireastired dust, rests 
and mingles with the ])erennia]ly swarded, the flowery odoiized 
soil from whence it hailed. And the precious spot wherein that 
priceless dust is entombed, wiU be pyramided by the hearts of her 
jjcople in more arousing, enduring grandeur, and with more pul- 
sating, thrilling expression of thought and feeling, than was ever 
inspired or prom[)ted by any of those materialized, stupendous 
structures of the East. 

Mr. Speaker, however inscrutal)le the decrees of an all-wise 
Providence may appear to our tinite capacity, the unconditional 
and trust-reposing surreuder of our will to that of His own, is only 



44 T.IFE AND CUAUACTEi: OF THOMAS II. HKUXUOX. 

the mure uuc'e.--j<itatwl tlK'rcl)y; hocoiniiig, as it ^liuiikl ever lie 
esteemed, our imperative duty. But how sublimely does it aseeiid 
to the pinnacle ])n)U)ineiiee of the highest of all privileges, its well 
as a pleasing duty when, facing up to and beholding the unalter- 
able decree suspended from the scepter of His omnipotent jjower, 
we read therein from His proclaimed will to mankind, that all 
things shall work together for good to those who love Him. 

With what awakened gratitude and heart-bounding delight, 
should we hail and embrace a duty so profound in its blessings, a 
privilege so exalting in its exercises, as thus to combine and har- 
ness all things together in the interest of earnest coworkers for our 
present and eternal good; by whose consolidated strength the mass 
of darkness and torturous doubt surrounding and obscuring us from 
His divine favors would be dispelled, as it would open up and wall 
with His everlasting promises a clearly defined way from the foot- 
stool of duty, to the elysium fields of unlimited and unending bless- 
ings; hapjiily conspicuous among which would be a eoinheritance 
as an adopted joint heir of His beneficent and exhanstless estate. 

l^ut grander and more munificent than all else, would be our unre- 
st raineil privilege of mingling and partici|3atiug with those, unceius- 
ingl V glorifving His divine will. To this inheritance of that estate, 
auil to this admission of that grandest t)f all privileges, our csteemetl 
friend and dearly beloved brother was ushered, on the twenty-eighth 
dav of March, in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred 
and eighty -three, and in the fifty-fifth year of his earthly existence. 

He had fought the fight, had kept the faith, and clad in the 
whole armor of God, he stood poised upon the crumbling brink, 
traced l)y the dread elements of the dark river, its unbaffled pilot 
skillfully untying the last tinsel cable confining his game spirit to 
the shores of earth. With a heart undisma^'ed by any stings there- 
from, unterrified by its somber, turbid surges, and reclining bliss- 
fully upon the hope which he had as an anchor of his soul both 
sure and steadfa.st, and which cntereth into that within the veil, he 
calmlv looked out upon the ap})roaching scenes, shifted and shifting 
under the guiding hand ot" the Pale Messenger. Moving out 
upon its eventful and awfully critictd currents, he uplifted the tel- 



ADDRES.^ OF MH. WILLIAMS, OF ALABAMA. 45 

escope of a t'aitii in liis Mediatorial Ma>ter, tlic twin sister of liis 
inspiring liojte, and saw revealed there tlmmoli the extending hand 
of deliveranee from the arm of omnipotent jiower of iiis Mereifid 
and Heavenly Father. 

Withdrawing for the moment his attention from the glorious in- 
sight thus afforded within the borders of tlie silent land, and 
intentlv eonseions that he was upon the eve of closing his eves in 
instant death, he tnrned them for the last time here upon the heart- 
broken partner of his toils, sornnvs, and joys; bidding farewell to 
this fitful dream of existence, he \vhis])ered in his dving voice to 
that justly dear, untiringly devoted, and tenderly loving helpmate, 
as he nu'ngled there with his last good-bv on earth: ".\11 is well 
with me." God sneeor, comfort, and provide for her desolate,dis- 
tressed, and sorely tried heart in this overwhelming b(;reaveincnt, 
is the breathing prayer of his and her innumerable friends. 

That he should have passed away from earth poor in this world's 
goods, yet rich in his nn])roclaimcd deeds of charity, was a fate in- 
evitable to him — a fate induced, yea, fixed, by a generous benevo- 
lence and whole-souled cliarity for his fellows, tot> genuine ever to 
allow its perishable trash to accumulate in hands, never closed in 
the iire.ience of the needy and distressed, or under appeals for their 
relief. His wealth of intellectuality and Samaritan sjjirit, inter- 
dicted that badge of poverty, proclaiming there were none to do 
him homage. Thousands of scores there were of those who real- 
ized a special delight therein. Acres who had ever thus been 
acted upon, embracing all shades, grades, and conditions of society, 
stood in sorrow-breathing silence, and with eyes bedewed in tears 
around his bier, wherewith, under the soil of his birtli, his idol 
form was being consigned to rest in the narrow confines of its long 
home — nudtitndes, emliracina- not only his own State, but scattered 
hither and thither throughout this broad land, though absent in 
person, were jiresent and j)arti<-ipating in heart-aggrie%'ed contem- 
plations, the solenni ceremonies of that mournful occasion. 

The fiat for his transition, found him in the fruitful maturings 
of the golden autumn of his earthly I'arecr, richlv ladcned with 
anil aboundiui;' useful, rare, and supei-cxccllent IVuils ; fruits en- 



46 



LIFE AXI) cllARACTEli OF THOMAS II. HKUNDON. 



(liiwiiis;' a lite oC luiinixed l)l('ssiiiii;s to liis tellows -111(1 of assured 
iiiiinortality to liimscU'. Our deprivations, as recipients, of tliosp 
so miieli esteemed and eoveted blossiiig-s, arc full enoui;-li to ])roiiipt 
our natun's to arise in rehelliun tliereat, and to dc]>lore a calamitv so 
ealaniitmis. Hut the coiufortiuii' uiieli<iii eoiiies in sootliiiin' Kcne- 
dietions to our acliiiiti' hearts, inii)uinir them Avitli the eonsolinu- as- 
surance, that onr teiiiporarv loss lias been his eternal uaiii. And 
while the loss may weaken the ties of earth, the gain will more 
than correspoiulingly strengthen the attractions of II<aveii. 

Doar, licaiitrons Death, tin- jcwfl of llu- just I 

Sliiiiinj; iKiwIicrc Imt in tin' daik : 
What iiivxt cries ihi lie lievniid tliv iliisl. 

Coiilil iiinii (>iitl(»>l\ tliat iiiai'k ! 

Tliat Mr. IIki;ni>on'.S career, should have uuliilded a lil'c glow- 
ing with the inlioni inspirations of a lofty genius, rich in its inci- 
dents and exhiliilioiis of all the elements of innate and high-ltorn 
manhood, and fruitful in its manifold feats of paraiiioiiut useful- 
ness and signal honors, can he no mattta' of surprise to the least 
thoughtful. 

That he should have inherently scorned, loathed, and repulsed, 
evervthing unl)e<'<imiug, low, or mean ; that he should lia\'c cn- 
tieinglv led his I'cllow-man liv precept :iud example onward, up- 
ward, and steadlastiv in all that was n<plile, graml, and true, none 
who knew him would not, could not i::ainsay. 

That he should have been one to whom mankind, in iiusolicited 
choice, cheerfully and cordially tied iu the closest bonds of unself- 
ish friendship, unreserved conlidencc, and, as was so apparent to 
tlieiii. without the semblanci' of any hazard whatever t.i their c<iii- 
lidcd trusts, is too plain not to be seen by all. 

That he should have been one deej)ly, lastingly beloved by his 
peojde, should have been their special jiride, the ajiple of their eye, 
the gem of their hearts' citadel, and should luive been exalted and 
honored li\- them with lavishing hamls and with fond delight, 
should nut, could not excite any wonder. 

That he should have bi'cii a cherished and linishcd ornament to 
society, one ever welcomed to its gay aii<l festixc midst l)y the 



ADIiUESS OF Mh'. U'lLLTAMK, OF ALABAMA. 47 

ijreetings alivr witli tliu wariiirli of t'lud lieart.s alone; that \w 
should liave bcou a lawyer of iiiKjiicstioncd eminence, a warrior of 
iiiieliallengcd heroism, and a statesman of enlargeil resources, re- 
sources coextensive with his growing country's increasing and vast 
demands, none can douiit. That his good name shoidd have been 
esteemed and decreed l)v liis i)eo|)ie, and tliose who came trulv to 
know iiim,as a jewel -coined synonym of the i)eautifid and bright, 
the brave and true, who could, if he would dare, deidoreV 

That this endeared name is thus enshrined and scntried in tlu' 
hearts of the sons and daughters of his own loved, flowery land of 
rest, a land whose interest and honor it was his pride and delight 
je.-ihiusly and /.calously to guard on this floor, as one of her clicer- 
full\ accredited, unboundedly intrusted Representatives, their en- 
tire united voice from her mountains; to his own orange-grove sea- 
board, promptly would declare; that he should have been a citizen 
of proiuiui iicc ill living iij) to the full rctpiirements of the law, 
undatiiiti'dly maintaining on all occasions the majesty and suprcm- 
acv of its mandates; that he should have i)een an endeared -and an 
endearing friend, a devoted, affectionate, and tender husband, a 
loving, kind, and honored father, needs no aflirmancc from an\' 
one whatever. 

That, though alisent, lie never will be forgotten by those favored 
with his ac(piaiiitance or blessed with his friendship; that though, 
alas I alas! dead, his memory will never cease to be treasured bv 
them, and with increased and increasing fondness therefor; that 
though the grave, so beautifully defined as the foot])rintof angels, 
for the time may hide from us all that was mortal of our dear 
friend and brother, and yet that we shall V)e permitted to see him 
again, are all divinely bottomeil intendments and glorious expec- 
tations, we most confidently entertain. Their realization and en- 
joyment, may be called in (piestion, doubted or denieil : but, if so, 
it will hail from those, and from tho.~e only, who in their hearts 
have said "There is no God." 

If .a st.ar were conrmed into a toiiili, 

Her captive tlame iiinst needs timii there; 

Hilt when the hanil tlnit liiiUe<l her up jjave idom. 

8lie'(l shine thnni-jh all the s|ihiTi'. 



48 LIFE AND CIJAIiACTEll OF THOiTAS IT. HERNDOS. 

\\\\\\\\\ iiiMii's iiiiii-tal tciicnuiil Imi'iis a captivo liamc, lit up hv 
tlio saniL' infinite hand tlial enkindled ''all tiic eonstellaticms tiiat 
ijoin, like a diadem, nisi'lit's hrow." Tlie beams of Intel licence, 
over emittini;' t'nim that immortal flame, go <int in quest of nature's 
mysteries, as they sjxirf in their contem])lati(ins amid the beauties, 
relations, distances, and orbits of tiic glittering liost marshaled on 
the nightly plains, and eagerly seek to know more of the soiireo 
of their own Pronicthian fire. Tiiese fugitive beams, elndiny,- the 
fetters of an irksome confinement, and \vith a s])eed in their flight 
unknown to electricity, bound to the outer circle of the remotest of 
those orbits. Kven though di.-allowed the di\ iuc pi-e-cminence 
whei'con Israel's gri'at leader stocxl, when he viewed the lamlseape 
o'er, nevertheless, if guided liy the light of the Star of lielhleheni, 
as they surx'ey the limitless domain of space sjiread out bcliire 
them, tluy may see through a glass (hirkly into Jehovah's pre- 
emption area, wherein His children arrivecl, arriving and home- 
ward bound will find mansions ])repared fi)r them upon his eternal 
camping groinul. 

How oft recallcil to our contemplations is it as a melancholy 
fiict, that the flowers we so tenderly nurture and so much enjoy in 
their fragrant array of unsurpassed glory, that the objects unceas- 
ingly caressed by our love's fondest affections and joyfully atliirded 
fiivored niches within the temple of our hearts as idols of our life's 
devotion, all lia<l the secil of death im])lanted within tlicm wiicn 
those of life were (inickeued into existence. I'ut, sir, in oiu' nnisings 
thereon, how important that we fathom with earnestly inipiiring 
thought decp<lowii into the philosophy therefor, would we content- 
edly learn and consolingly realize, why all earthly pk'asures and 
treasures of the heart are so transitory and fleeting. 

When thus fathomed and eonij)rehended, we cannot f'lil to recog- 
nize in them witnesses of Almighty God, whose testimony is sure, 
making wise the sim])le; whose evidence, disregarding all perad- 
venture, wisely institutes and pronuilgates, as an anchoring convic- 
tion of the heart, the momentous truth that our AFaker never in- 
tended this earth as man's abiding place. We hear it proclaimed 
on every hand that nothing dies but in fulfillment of His omnis- 



ADDRESS OF Ml!. W ILLIAMS, OF ALABAMA. 49 

ciently established decrees, while by His divine ageucy we alike 
see and know its place is at once resiipplied with newness of life. 

ThrDiighoiit all nature these reproductive links have been coin- 
ing in continuous order from creation's dawn, and will so transj)ire 
until tile iiand that suspended this earth in the ori)it of its exist- 
ence, and concentrated u|)on its prepared l)osoin the creative power 
of His own omnipotent will, sliail withdraw it therefrom. In man 
alone, has He breathed the inspiration to look with confident hope 
beyond the dissolution of iiis earthly iiouse of this tabernacle, and 
to know that he has a building of (iod, a house not made with 
hands, eternal in the heavens. In his decay, .step by step, as he 
descends to the grave, Faith illumes with extended and extending 
ken, and Hope invigorates with increased and increasing brightness, 
the grand truth embraced by Charity with unyielding devotion, 
that with those wisely prepared therefor, to lie absent from the body, 
is to be present with the Lord. 

For this cause, though tlie outward man is perishing, vet will 
the inwiird man be renewed day by day. M'lien thus reverently 
understood and sj)iritually realized, death becomes the unfolding 
door of entrance upon renewed, incrca.sed, and increasing vitality, 
wherein mortality is swallowed up of life. Through the thresholds 
of this unclosed door, open and to remain open for the reception 
of the last pilgrim of the human race, will continue to pass those 
more than golden links in the countless strand of the family of hu- 
manity, among whom will shine with a luster not of earth, a luster 
inherited and reflected alone from the face of their Divine Master, 
those of our race, ransomed, purified, and redeemed, by His atoning 
grace. This onward march to the source of all gooil will never 
halt, until it shall have encircled and environed to the full measure 
of His own divine purpose, the supreme throne of our Heavenly 
Father. 

In accordance with His own eternal decrees, the last jiilgrim ot 
earth will have then passed through and closed forever behind him 
the door of death, and will have been added to that gi'and army, 
enlisted, marshaled, an<l encamped npim the Klysian fields of His 
unending glorv. 

4 HE 



50 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF THOMAS H. HERNDON. 

We stand in tlie midst of tlio jirogross of this startling, nio- 
mentons, and sdlLMimly cvontfnl existence, mingling therewith wiiilc 
borne upon its resistless euri'ents to those iH'ar and nearing tran- 
scendent changes. 

Clad in the livery of our dearest esteem, ail'ection, and love for 
our so mueii-missed, lamented brother, and j)lanted within the m- 
spired circle, reflected from, and lined by the crowning halo of the 
immortal genii of our devotion, we proclaim it here and now, and 
with a resolve which shall know no varying, or the shadow of 
change, that God being our helper, we will go to our brother. 

Ill' Mint liatli t'liiiiKi sdiiu' llcdijcil bird's nest niay know. 

At first sifjlit if tli<' ''inl 1"' flown ; 
But wliat fair ticUl or grove lie sings in now, 

That is to him unknown. 

And yot as angels, in somo brighter dreams, 

Call to the soul when man doth sleep, 
So some .strange thoiiglits transcend our wonted tlienies, 

And into glory pee]). 



Address of Mr. Randall, of Pennsylvania. 

Mr. SrE.\KEK : There are ttten who.se lives have been .so rue 
and gentle that the exaggerated language of eulogy is rendered 
unneces.sary, and for whom the simple recital of duty bravely done 
and noble purposes carried out without fear or favor i.s their 
most eloquent obituary. Of such was the late Thoma.s H. Hern- 
don, of Alabatna. Of spotless personal character, M'itli mctital 
faculties cultured and self-poi.sed, with courage ecpial to his con- 
victions, yet in the ordinary business of this House he was modest, 
unassumiiig, and affable initil ])rinciple was at stake and right was 
to be sustained, ^id then no rock was more firmly rooted. The 
detfUficiatiofis of eiietnies, the sediurtiotis of interested parties, and 
the blandishtnents of power were equally tniavailing to move him 
from the positioti he took after careful cotisideration. 

He was tny frietid, and tione had a truer one. Atid such friend- 
ship is a ccmsolatioti bevotid all ])owi>r of words to de])ict. It is 
the .solace and su]ij)ort of tneti who try, however feebly. If) pursue 



ADDRESS OF MR. RASDALL, OF PENNSYLVANIA. 51 

the course whicli they believe to be just and proper. It is easy 
and delightful to do the wishes of those who would aggrandize 
tiieir fortunes from the public Treasury', or to grant monoplies to 
those already too powerful, while on the contrary to battle in be- 
half of the rights of the many, which are ever absorbed by the few 
unless prevented l)y ceaseless vigilance, brings unstinted abuse and 
the most cruel misrepresentation, and all the more unjust, because 
•it is deliberately done. If it were not for the companionship and 
warm-hearted lieip and confidence of men from every section and 
of all ])arties, men like Mr. Herndon, the vexation and labor 
of public life would lie unendurable. 

The men who appear most cousjiicuously in our pid)lic pro- 
ceedings are not always the best legislators. There are tliose who 
work earnestly and uoi.selessly, attentive and watciiful, too faith- 
ful to themselves and tiieir constituents to decide witiiout the 
fullest information, and wiio are as steady to the principles they 
profess as the needle to the pole, and who moreover, on the great 
field-dav wlicn wrong is to be routed and right made victorious, 
arc always to be found in the ranks ready to do and dare to the 
utmost. Sucli a legislator and such a friend was Mr. Hkkxhox. 

I feign no stately sorrow on this occasion. I sincerely mourn 
for one I esteemed deeply, in coming into this Hall I miss the 
l)right glance and beauty welcome of a true friend. There have 
vanished the refinement and courtesy of a genial and worthy as- 
sociate. Something has dro])ped from the comfort of niv dailv 
life which cannot? easily be replaced. 

Alabama has sent to Congress men of surpassing elorpience, and 
others who iiave won tiie highest positions on the floor of tliis 
House and iu the other Ciiamlier, but none of tiiem left beiiind 
them the memory of a purer life, a sounder public record, or a 
sweeter character than Mr. Herndon. Such memories are tlie 
undying glory of every commonwealth, and arc a valual)le incent- 
ive to honest ambition everywhere. 

The resolutions were then unanimously adopted, and, in accord- 
ance therewith, the House adjourned. 



PROCEEDINGS I\ THE SEA'ATE. 



In the Senate of the United States, 

April. 14, 1884. 

A ine.ssage from the House of Kepre.sentatives, hy Joliii B. Clark, 
jr., its Clerk, coiurauniaited to the Senate the iutelligence of the death 
of Hon. Thomas H. Herndon, late a Kepresentative-eleet to the 
House from the State of Alabama, and transmitted the resolutions 
of the House tiiereon. 

Mr. PuGH. I ask tliat the resolutions may lie on the table, on 
aeeonnt of the absence of Senators who desire to make remarks 
u|)on tile resolutions. I give notice that I shall not call them up 
for action by the Senate until 4 o'clock on Friday next. 



April 18, 1884. 

Mr. MoiWiAX. I move that the resolutions from the House of 
Representatives commemorative of the deatii of Mr. Herndon be 
laiil before the Senate. 

Tile Peesiding Officer (Mr. Ingalls in the chair). The Secre- 
tary will read tiie resolutions at length. 

The Chief Clerk read as follows: 

In the House of Rephesextativks, April 12, 1SS4 

Heioh-ed, That this House h.\s heard with tleeji regret of the ckiath of Hon. 
Thomas H. Heundon, kite a Re|ireseiitative-elett to this House from the State 
of Ahibaiiia. 

litmlced, That as a testimony of respeet to liis memory the otfieers and mem- 
bers of this H0U5(! will wear the usual badge of mourniug for the spaec of thirty 
days. 

Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be transmitted l)y the Clerk of this 
House to the family of the deceased. 

Resolved, That the Clerk be directed to communicate a copy of these proceed- 
ings to the Senate; and that, as a further mark of respect to the meuiiiry of the 

deceased, this House do now adjourn. 

53 



54 LIFE AND CHARACTEIt OF THOMAS H. HERNDON. 

Mr. Morgan. Mr. Prcsiik'iit, I offer resolutions which I ask may 
be read. 

Tlio Presiding Officer. Tlie resohitioiis will be read. 
The Chief Clerk read as follows: 

Uexolral, Tliat tlio Senate shares witli the Utilise <il" Ke|ire.seutatives in its ex- 
pressions ol'soriDW at the death of Hon. Thomas II. IlKHNDox, hitely a Kepre- 
sentalive in that hody from tlie iState of Ahihaina. 

Uisolntl, That, as a niarl< of synipatliy toward the family of the deceased, the 
Secretary of the Senate will transmit to them a copy of these i)roceedings. 



Address of Mr. Morgan, of Alabama. 

Mr. President: After our friends have pa.ssed away it is a 
grateful privilege to commemorate their virtue-s, and to draw from 
the history of their lives the lessons which teach us how to emulate 
them in their good deeds and aspirations. It is not often that a 
man has departed beneath tlie meridian sun of life whose taking off 
has left a deeper sorrow, or has deprived society of a more beloved 
frien<l and the country of a wiser or more useful citizen than 
Thomas H. Herndon. To say that he was endeared to all who 
knew him is only to express their confidence in the purity of his 
life and in his fidelity to all good principles, and to rej)eat toward 
the de[)arted tlie earnest friendship which he inspiretl by his noble 
and generous bearing, anil which he extended to every good man 
with cordial sincerity. He was a native of Alabama, born at Erie 
on the 1st Jtdy, 1828, when the State had been but nine years in 
political existence. He w^as eduaited chiefly by Professor Tut- 
wiler, a great teacher ami a man of the highest worth, and after- 
ward took his degree in the University of Alabama. He was a 
representative in the legislature for several terms, was a delegate 
to the secession convention in 18(51, and served with distinction in 
the civil war in command of the Thirty-sixth Alabama Regiment. 
Afterward he was elected thrice in succession as a member of the 
Hou.se of Representatives of the United States, and diecl while in 
the service of his State as a member of Congress, 



ADDSESS OF MR. ilOIiGAX, OF ALABAMA 55 

Tliis is a y;()i)(l ret-ord in its outliut', and speaks elu(jiiuntlv of thu 
public confidence he enjoyed during all his manhood, and it was 
filled up in all the stages of his public service with conscientious 
diligence, and with honest, faithful, wise, and able counsels, that 
greatly benefited the country and added much to the influence and 
reputation of Alabama. He was the dutiful and loving son of 
Alabama — a proud and noble mother. His ;ishes are at rest in her 
bosom, and his memory is in her sacreti keeping. His last sick- 
ness was very protracted and wearing, but he ({uietlv and patiently 
confronted death, for months together, without the least atritatiou 
of spirit, and with a degree of confidence and cheerful resignation 
tiiat made his sick-chamber a place of attraction more than of 
grief to his anxious friends. He was not a stoical jihilosopher, 
but of broad and enlightened Christian faith. Those wiio gathered 
around him in his long suffering were deeply moved as they wit- 
nessed how he was attended during every moment with a tender- 
ness and gentle devotion that it would be rudeness t« describe 
here, which makes the better side of life radiaut with beauty and 
lovely with its excellence. 

His mental composure and strength of will never yielded to the 
depressing influences wliicii left him physically prostrate after long 
months of severe illness; and his mind was so clear and vigorous 
that he was able to give useful advice to his colleagues respecting 
pui)lic artairs in which he took great interest while in the daily ex- 
pectation of death. When the Forty-seventh Congress adjourned 
he was ready to go home and die, but not until then. He rallied 
all his remaining powers to the task of returning to his native 
land that he might yield up his spirit in Alabama, his beloved 
home. Consecrated in every aifecti(5n of his nature, Alabama re- 
ceived him with the grief of a stricken mother. I am proud to 
accept this man and his life and character !is the true type of a 
native Alabamian. 

Colonel Herxdox itdicrited the qualities which compelled him 
to the highest and nol)lest aspirations; and his lineage and the 
surroundings of his youth directed his thoughts and his ambition 
toward the service of his country in the maintenance of the con- 



56 I'JFE AND CHAUACTEi: or iiii,}i_is II. HKKXDOX. 

stitiiliciiinl right.-* of tlii' |)eo[)lc. Tlii.s was a lalmr of love witli 
liiin in which he never faltereil or grew weary. 

A chivalrous spirit inlieritcd t"r;)in honorable ancestors, and de- 
voted to the holy cause of justice, is something that lifts up the 
people to a jiropcr conception of their dignity and power in a 
Goveru'iuMit like ours. In this sense Colonel FTervdox was a 
chevalier without re[)roach. He served his State as one who loved 
its jieiiplc and was jealous of its honor. He had many peers, Km 
none were more truly noble. In the many severe battles of the 
civil war, froiu wiiich he narrowly escaped with his life, but with 
wounds of which he at last died, lie left numbers of his peers and 
comrades dead on the field. At Chickamauga he received his 
sumnKjiis to an' early death. His comrades were a glorious lK)st 
of the true men of the South whose fame is still more illustrious 
now that he has again joined them. As the years recede they are 
not forgotten. Their memory is still precious to the hearts of 
millions of peo])le, and their heroism becomes more impressive in 
its grateful and i-omantic interest to the new generations as they 
arise. Tears still well up in tiie dimmed eyes of their surviving 
comrades, whose bosoms, though chilled with age and penury, still 
grow warm with love ;ls their tongues whisper the praises of their 
heroic dead. Rivers and mountains and plains, l)aptized with their 
blood, have become the enduring landmarks of their fame, and 
will forever commemorate their deeds of honor. 

It is fitting that I should describe briefly the characteristics of 
the people who found a true and worthy representative in Thomas 
H. IlKiixnoN. Their (jualities gave tone and strength U> liis man- 
hood, and he was thus in every sense their representative. The 
attractions of a fresh and beautiful country ac<juired from the In- 
dian tribes drew to Alabama in the early days of its history a 
large number of people from all the Atlantic States, from IMassa- 
chusetts to (leorgia. They were mainly of the classes who had 
means to purchase the best lands in considerable bodies, and had 
the fortitude to endure the hardships of a pioneer life. In such 
conununities are usually found great enterprise and intelligence, 
and much of native ability and inde])endeucc of character, and 



JI)])I{Et<S OF MR. ilOUOAK, OF ALABAMA. 57 

tlic.-u are sate fi»iiU(latii)ns upon wliicli to build all .sot-ial anil polit- 
ical institutions. 

With the assistance ot" slave labor the work ol" reducing the wil- 
derness to cultivation was rapidly accomplished, and the land was 
speedilv covered with productive farms and many of tlie public 
conveniences which are necessary to a prosperous people. 

Tlie ])eople thus drawn together were largely composed of the 
l)cltcr- classes from the older States, having left behind them the 
prejudices and peculiarities they may have adopted in their earlier 
lives. The country rapidly acquired wealth, and with it the ]X'o- 
ple had leisure for mental improvement, for indulgence in agree- 
able pursuits and diversions, and for the cultivation of their tastes. 
Their homes were not pretentious in architecture or in ornamenta- 
tion. They preferred the beautifid forest trees and Howei-s in 
tiieir am])le grounds to costly decorations or splendid mansions. 
It was not unusual to find in the newly opened farms a cosy log- 
house, surrounded with rough fences, but convenient, roomv, and 
comfortable, furnished with elegance and taste, antl provided with 
every appliance to make home pleasant and attractive. The wive.s 
and daughters of these families took great pride in dispensing a 
generous hospitidity with elegance and grace. They were saved 
from much of the drudgery of ordinary domestic work, and had 
leisure to devote to social duties and to their mental improvement. 
They were happy in their homes and reflected their happiness on 
others. * Tlie wealth of these new communities was only srreat 
enough to give them leisure for useful reflections, and to stimulate 
tiiem to rivalry in the education of their children and in self-im- 
provement, without affording theni the means or the inducement 
to idleness or the indulgence of a love of ease. They were active 
and efficient workers, in fnll sympathy with the vigorous growth 
and prosperity of the country ; and the comfort of their families 
was an object that engaged their most earnest care. 

Above all else they valued the sacred character and the holy mis- 
sion of woman, and in this respect the reward of their honorable 
sentiments was realized in the highest degree. Their sons were 
found capable of any sacrifices which duty and honor required, and 



58 LIFE AND CHAliAVTEIi OF THOMAS II. HEIiNDON. 

were proud tlieir lineage. Tliey rejoiced in tiieir families and lionies, 
where tlieir si.sters and mothers were honored. A sense of duty 
and a sentiment of honor deej)Iy rooted iu the affections of the houie 
circle are the surest guarantees to society and to the State of the in- 
tegrity and fidelity of any man. It is in this way that their chaste 
regard for social duty, their love of home and family, their devout 
faith in Christianity, their zeal for tiic excellent results which only 
the truth, and grace, and moral strength of woman can create in 
society, have so deej)ly impressed the benignant influence of woman 
upon the character of the Southern peoi)le that these blessings will 
remain with them to the latest generations. 

It was among this class of people that the mother i)f TiioMAS H. 
Hernddn was found. A descendant of the Toulmins of England, 
she inherited the qualities which caused her ancestors to seek an 
asyhim in America from religious persecution iu England, prefer- 
ring the hardsiiips of voluntary e.xile in the wilderness to ease and 
comfort at the expense of liberty of conscience. 

In the first dawn of his manhood the beautiful guiding light of 
his whole life shone upon him. He married a young girl who was 
descended from jVbram Alexandi'r, the president of the Mecklen- 
burg convention, which declared ihe independence of North Caro- 
lina, in May, 1775. The faith of her great ancestor in the justice 
of the cause of American Independence was repeated in the faith of 
this gentle wife in the ciiusciu which her husband made a sacrifice 
of his fortune and finally of his life. The president of the Meck- 
lenburg convention transmitted to his descendants those heroic qual- 
ities which led him to espouse and to abide by a cause which was 
sacred to him, although it was denounced as treason from the throne 
of Great Britain. His great-granddaughter was not less true or 
heroic than he was in her devotion to a cause that she espoused, 
and yet she was not more devoted to her principles than were mill- 
ions of the women of the South, anu)ng whouj tliere was no dis- 
senting opinion and no diversity of sentiment during the terrors of 
the civil war. They were the soul of the Confederacy. 

On his father's side Colonel Hekndox was descended from a 
family distinguished for abilities and integrity of diaracter. Thus 



JDDUJiSS OF MR. GIBSON, OF LOUISIANA. 59 

it i.s appart'iit that in kuowiug the i)oo|)ie that ht rui>ru.seuted in hi:s 
lineage, and among whom liis oharaeter was formed, we know liim. 
Their blood coursed iu his veins, giving strength to his priuci2)les, 
fonrage to his soul, breadth to his iutelleet, l>eauty and grace to his 
niMiiIv form, gentleness to his spirit, elevation to his sentiments, 
and steadfastness to his devotion to duty. His earnest aud evcr- 
iTiidv response to the noble impulses whicli tliis rich tiile impartetl 
to liis thoughts and li^elings made him a typical son of the South. 

Colonel Herndon's high sense of honor kejjt him always true 
in his conduct to his convictions of duty. When he was in the se- 
cession convention of Alabama and in the Confederate army, no 
man was more faithful than he was to the cause in which he was 
enlisted. When he again resumed his allegiance to the United 
States his fidelity to that Government was true and heartfelt. He 
was incapable of deception, and would never have accej»ted an at- 
titude toward the United States that would have caused iiim the 
least embarrassment in the faithful service of that Government. 
He was always honest, and therefore he was always true. 

His acquaintance was very extensive, but it was uot wider than 
that atmosi)here of warm and ajipreciative affection which pervaded 
all classes of people to wdium he wiis known. 

A soldier, a scholar, a jurist, a .statesman; a Christian, genuine, 
true, foithful, and devout, he is entitled to the honors which the 
American Senate are now awarding to his memory. But in the 
more endearing character of friend and comrade, the silent tribute 
of a tear moistens the eye of the grateful poor and steals down the 
bronzed cheek of the warrior to utter higher praises than we can 
cml)ody in resolutions. " Let him rest in jjcace, tor he has nobly 
earned his high reward." 



Address of Mr. Gibson, of Louisiana. 

Mr. Pkesident: The interesting sketch wdiicli has Iieen pre- 
sented In- the Senator from Alabama [Mr. Morgan] of the life 
anil public services of the late TiiUM.v.s H. Hekxdox informs us 
that he enjoyed unusual opportunities for education and for moral 



60 l.ll'E AXD CaAltACTER OF THOMAS H. HEIiNDON. 

and social disiipliiiu and that lie filled many positions of public 
honor and res|)()nsil)ility. 

]>orii in Hale County, Alabama, July 1, 1828, educated at the 
University of" the State, he had hardly completed the study of the 
law in the University at Cambridge, Mass., and entered his pro- 
Cession before he embarked in public life. He was a representa- 
tive in the General Assemldy and a trustee of the IT^niversity of 
Alabama, a member of the constitutional convention, a major, lieu- 
tt'oanl -colonel, an<l colonel in the Confederate .\rmy, and the can- 
didate of the DiMHocratic party for the (lovernorsliip of the State 
in 1872; again a member of a constitutional convention and of the 
general assembly of the State, he was finally elect eil to be a Repre- 
sentative from tiic First Congressional district in the Forty-sixth, 
Forty -seventh, and Forty-eighth Congresses, but he did not live 
to take his seat in the Forty-eighth Congress. 

His honors survived him. He was called away from a loving 
fireside anil associations most dearly prized, from a confiding con- 
stituency, from the enjoyment of every favor of fortune, and from 
the performance of" great public trusts, while in the meridian of 
life and in the full maturity of his pi)wers, while — 
Hope elevates, and joy 
15righteU8 his crest. 

Com(' when it may to the young or old, the iTievitable and uni- 
versal summons nuist always impress us with the profound mystery 
111' life and death, the uncertainty of humanity ; but wlienever I 
i)cliold a strong man fall midway his journey, arrested at the very 
moment when earthly rewards and honors were being reaped and 
when his usefulness was greatest to his fellow-men, I can only re- 
peat again and again the mournful exclamation of Burke over his 
dead son, " What shadows we are; what shadows we pursue ! " 

1 was his conu-ade and friend in the Southern army and his as- 
sociate in the House of Representatives, and I trust therefore I may 
be pardoned if I take'this opportunity to pay a passing tribute to 
his memory and to give utterance to my deep sorrow at his un- 
timely death. 

It can not be saiil that Mr. Hkrxdon had achieved a national 
reputation as a statesman or that he has left a name iIlu.strious in the 



addhess of mil cibsox, of louisiasa. 61 

field of letters, philosopliy, science, or war; yet in many respects 
he was a remarkable man and in all an admirable one. 

Throughout his whole life he appeared rather to avoid than to 
attract public attention, and though possessiug profound oonvic- 
ions, earnestness of purpose, and a noble ambition, he shunned all 
mere parade and the pursuit of distinction as an object. His 
watchword was duty, and the practice of self-denial and manly 
modesty was a part of his nature. The superficial observer would 
have said that he was too undemonstrative and reserved, too little 
of a self-seeker and flatterer, too little schooled in the arts of the 
vulo-ar politician, too independent and frank, ever to obtain or to 
hold the favor of the public; that he was not sufficiently sensa- 
tional and the " hail fellow well met " to go before the people. 
But here we have the spectacle of a man who from tiie bottom of 
his heart despised all wire-pulling, all machine politics, all clap- 
trap, who was self-contained and self-respecting, yet won and held 
the confidence and affection of the people of tiie State of Alabama. 
No man was more esteemed, none more beloved. The record of 
ins services, covering a period of nearly thirty years, discloses the 
fact that there were ties of a lasting character binding the deceased 
to the people among whom he lived. 

Upon what foundation did they rest? What was tiie secret of 
his power? It was not because he possessed the gift of popular 
oratory, for while he spoke always with fullness and clearness and 
force, many others far less esteemed surpassed him in the ability 
to sway the masses of the people or select audiences with the 
splendors and charms of their eloquence. 

Xor can it be said that it was owing to his achievements as a 
soldier, for wliile these were creditable and brilliant they were 
confined within cin'umseril)cd and narrow limits, wliile many 
others less beloved than he perfiirmed exploits that have linked 
their names to imperishable renown. 

You cannot ascribe it altogether to his robust common sense, 
his sound judgment, his zealous attention to daily tasks and en- 
gagements, to In's qualifications and accomi)lisliments as a lawyer, 
to his rectitude and public spirit, nor to his well known fidelity to 
friendships, for these were (pialities ]iossessed by htuidreds who 



62 LIFE AND CUAHACTEI! OF THOMAS H. HEIINDON. 

failed tn make aiiv iniprcssidii wliatevcr upon the piihlic consid- 
eration. 

To wliat then can \vc attribute his popularity and useiiilncss as 
a public man? It is true that his intellectual endowiuents com- 
manded respect, but tlio source of his superiority is to be found in 
the resources of a matchless character. In this respect he had few 
ecpials and no superiors. Representative and typical of the better 
eleiucnts and as])irati()us of the jieople, he was their cherished favor- 
ite, for tlu'V saw in hiiu the finished |)rodu(^t of the civilization — 
tiie moral an<l int<'ilcctual forces of the society which they com- 
posed. For it may be said that as a sicneral rule jiublic men arc 
the lo<i;ieal ex])ressions of the tone and temjier, the outiirowth of 
the local conditions and habits and cidture and institutions of 
the people, and indicate their characteristics and (jnalities as surely 
as certain ]ilants and fruits and trees do p:u-ticular soils and cli- 
mates. 

His family had emigrat(>d from about Fivdericksburi;, a part of 
the Old Dominion whi(^li has been prolific in men celebrated for all 
the virtues that adorn human nature as well as polished manners 
and intellectual accomplishments. They belontred to the country 
people of Virt^inia who have triven to the world names that com- 
mand its adiuiration and honiaLic I>nt of those who composed that 
remarkable class how many there were who neither sonsj;ht nor 
would acce]>t ])nblic stations, but were content to remain on their 
iilantations pursuing- their daily avociitions and conlribiitini;- to 
the welfare of their neighborhoods; distinguished alike for their 
fondness for classical learning, their hospitality, a certain reserve 
and statcliness of manner and high moral standards — men who 
have left their inipre.ss upon couutry life throughout the South, tiie 
Georcrc Washingtons and the George Masons of private life, whose 
virtues fertilized the soil from which these great characters sjiruug 
and made of Virginia in some sense what Ithaca was to Ulysses — 

A riiii.uli, Willi iini-sc-hinil, I'lit wliosc cro)w aro men. 

Inheriting traditions so elevating and representing a ]ieo|ile them- 
selves intelligent, brave, an<l virtuous, how could he prevaricate or 



ADDRESS OF Mli. GIBSON, OF LOUISIANA. 63 

attempt to deceive or descend to snliterf'iige or ]>lay tlic demagogue 
or betray any tinist or fail of duty auywiiere or his name he less 
than what it was — the synonym for honor. 

The country can never forgot the magniiieent example of Fieroic 
devotion to duty left hy In's kinsman, Capt. William Louis Hern- 
dou, who sacrificed his own life to save the passengers of the ill- 
fated steamer the Central America, which went down in a terrific 
o-ale on our coast in 1857. It will i>e remembered with what me- 
thodical care and cool intrepidity he made all the arrangements for 
the safety of tlw pas.sengers, insisting that the women and children 
should be rescued fii-st and then the other passengers and finally 
the crew, and how at last when the foundering ship iiad become 
unmanageable and was about to be ingulfed, and it was apparent 
that all must instantly perish and his men besought him to aban- 
don her and to save himself for the sake of his wife and children, 
his brave spirit, deaf to all entreaties, heard above the roar of the 
tempest the call of honor and <luty, and, obeying, met death like 
a martyr. 

Col. Thoma.s H. Hernoon" had a spirit cfjually unselfish and 
courageous. I well remember during the evacuation of the lines 
near Spanish Fort, in Mobile I'ay, in the closing hours of the civil 
war, the commander called for volunteers for a perilous service, 
and that Colonel Herxdox came fiirward and in a quiet and 
modest manner oifered to undertake the duty, and performed it 
with such skill and heroism that he saved the lives of hundreds of 
his comrades, a duty the jierformance of which could bring no eclat, 
no public distinction, no governmental rewards, and that ap])cai-od 
to involve the certain loss of his own lifi'. I doubt if he ever al- 
luded to the circumstance. Such was the man ! His whole char- 
acter may be summed up in one word. He was a gentleman, res[)ect- 
ing all the ties of life, honoring all its obligations, and knowing no 
fear but the fear of God. He realized all our ideas of an Ameri- 
can gentleman called from the walks of private life into the public 
service, bringing with him that exquisite sensibility, that genuine 
benevolence, that genial tolerance, that scorn of deceit and vulgar- 
itv, that brave devotion to iirinciiile wliich characterized tlie good 



64 LIFE AND rllAllACTEl! OF THOMAS H. flFUXDOX. 

peiiplu will) ii[)licl(l ami licninrcil and Iciveil liiiii as their ri'prcscnt- 

ative, and hy wlioni tliey were tlieinsolves liuUDred. He was the 

eiiilK)diuient of that ideal eluiraeter drawu by the matter hand of 

Geoffrey Chancer over five hundred years ago : 

A kiiiylit tlicr was, anil that a worthy iiuiii, 
Tliat Iriiui the tyiiio that hi- ferst hif;au 
To rydeii out, lie lovede cliyvelrye, 
Troiithr ami honour, frcdoni anil enrtosic. 

And thon;;h that be was worthy he wax wys, 
And of his port as moke ,as is a niayde. 
He never yit no vilonye ne sayde, 
III al his lyf, unto no nmner wijjht. 
He was a veray parlit j;enlil knight. 



Address of Mr. Jones, of Florida. 

Mr. PuEsiUKNT: The iniiierfeetion of liiinian laiigiiao'c is so 
groat that even on ordinary occasions and siilijeets we ail feel that 
\vc cannot give expression to our tJionghts and feelings. I never 
felt so keenly the poverty of sjieech as I do to-day. My heart is 
so full of the ineiiiories of the giind man whose iintiiuely death 
has lieen just oHicially aiiiiouiiced in the Senate that 1 eaiinot say 
half that I feel ahout him. 

Thomas II. Hioiindon was mv warm personal friend long lie- 
fore either he or I came to Washington in an oflieial chai'aeter. 1 
am aware that occasions like this are often em]iloyed to speak of 
virtues and character oflicially. The .service that I perform to- 
dav is not an official or lip .service; it conies from my heart. Mr. 
Herndox and 1 lived very near to each other. A sur\cyor"s 
line, a few miles, and sej)arate State organization, were all that 
separated us. Occasionally he came to the bar at my home and 
more frequently I went to the bar at his. If there is anything 
that tests the quality of true friendship it is the intercourse of 
professional life. 

The ])rofessional man who shows to the world that he is above 
that littleness of mind and heart which makes some men iucapa- 



ADDRESS OF MR. JOXES, OF FLO ft IDA. 65 

ble of accoriling to others the credit which is due to tliem for thoir 
talents and worth is the possessor of great and uncommon virtue. 
Mr. Herndon was a man of great generosity, high character, and 
extensive attainments. In the city in which he lived, one of the 
foremost in the South, he was beloved by everybody for the purity 
of his private life, his eminent professional ability, as well as for 
the liroad conservative principles wiiich he adhered to after he 
entered 2)ublic life. He was a man of genuine convictions and 
high sense of honor, and I do not think that he ever cast a vote 
or made a speech that did not emanate from his heart and with 
the sole purpose of advancing the interests of his country. He 
had few of the qualities of a trained politician. He was a man 
•who would never act an insincere part to gain favor in any 
quarter. 

He often said to me when here that there was much about pub- 
lic life that was distasteful to him because he found that it was 
difficult for a mind like his to conform to ]iolitical methods and 
to do all that usage had sanctioned to win popular applause. In 
liis intercourse with his fellow men he was modest and unobtru- 
sive, and so perfectly conscious was he at all times of the purity 
of his own character and the integrity of his principles tiiat he 
made no effort to impress them upon the minds of others. 

He did not belong to that class of public men who suddenly 
build themselves up by sensations and little methods and then fall 
to pieces by the weight of their own dullness and incapacity as 
soon as they become known. His was the slow, steady but certain 
growth which always follows the exertions of real character and 
merit; and had health and life permitted him to develop his fine 
abilities in the field of politics, he would have occupied a jjosition 
in the councils of the country that would have given strength, 
courage, and power to all those who labor to iufuse dignity, 
wisdom, independent spirit, impartial and temperate judgment, as 
well as genuine patriotism, into the administration of the affairs 
of government. 

I have no hesitation in saying that in all tlie relations of life, 
private, social, professional, and political, Mr. Herndon was one 

5 HE 



66 LWE AXD CHARACTER OF THOMAS H. HERNDON. 

of tlie best men I ever knew. He was a seliolar without atteeta- 
tion or peiUiutiy; a Christian without intolcranee or l)igotry ; a 
lawyer upright and tearless, ever coiumanding the eontidence of 
the court, and who was never known to neglect or betray the in- 
terests of a client. The loveliness of his domestic life was only 
e(iualed bv the purity of his professional and political character. 
He had strong convictions as a party man, but they were never 
exhibited in undignified or intemperate disputation. He was 
always true to the principles of his party, but they never carried 
him far enough to prevent him from doing full justice to those who 
differed from him. I have in my memory an instance of liis im- 
jiartiality and tlie freedom of his character from all taint of that 
littleness and hate which too often spring from party differences. 
It is only the man of real brain and heart that knows how and 
where to draw the line which sepai-ates private worth and integrity 
from party principles and responsibility. 

When an appointment was to be made to a great judicial office 
from among the leading Republicans of the country I remember 
my deceased friend coming here from his business and his home to 
give his personal testimony of the worth and character of the j)cr- 
son wlio was finally appointed, and without the knowledge of tiie 
latter. " Go with me," he said to me, " to official quarters ; tell 
them wiio I am, so that I can speak, after long ex[)erience at the 
bar over which this gentleman presides as a judge, of his great 
ability, integrity, and purity of character." The moral of this 
ouglit not to pass without observation. It is this : That after all 
that has been said touching the treatment of United States officers 
in the South, whenever a gentleman is sent there he never fails to 
ins])ire confidence and receive justice. Long before either Mr. 
Hkhndox or myself contemplated entei-ing the field of politics 
we were professional friends and often engaged together at the bar. 
He was the most conscientious lawyer I ever knew. He would 
not address an argument to a court unless he had the clearest con- 
viction not only of the justice but of the law of the case. 

I was once his associ ite in an admiralty c:uise before the United 
States circuit court of Alabama. The equity of the case was clearly 



ADDRESS OF MR. JONES, OF FLORIDA. 67 

witli uur client, who was tlie victim of a gross t'raiid alioiit to be 
consummated and carried through the forms of law. In arranging 
about the argument he said to me, with great emotion, "The jus- 
tice and right of the case is clearly with us, hut I have great doul)t 
in regard to the legal ]>rinci))le for which you contend, and while 
I will assist you in every way in my power I must leave the argu- 
ment to you." We gained the case before a full (rourt. " You 
never could have succeeded," said he. " unless you were before a 
court that had the courage and justi(a' to follow the example of 
Tjord Mansfield who, putting aside the hard principles of the com- 
mon law, declared that he never would permit a trustee to recover 
in ejec'tment against \\\s cedid que lrii.il in possession of the estate." 
Mr. l^resident, my poor offering to the memory of Tii()>rAs IT. 
Hkrndox this day is not what I could wish it to be. Had I the 
language of a Wolister or (lioate T coidd not <lo justice to my feel- 
ings for the memory of this honest, true man. I have seen loo 
much of the hollow uess, the treachery, the insincerity of the human 
heart not to hold in jjrojwr estimation the character of tlic deceased. 
The House oflieprescutatives has iiatl and now has many men l)etter 
known to the world for long public service and showing of talents 
than my departed friend; but, sir, neither that body noi- this at 
any time in our history had a member who in all the high fpiali- 
ties of genuine manhood was the superi(M' of the deceased. I do 
not speak, of course, about intellectual powers, for it is well known 
that a bright mind and a rotten heart have often been found 
together, but I sjK'ak of those great moral qualities which make 
friendship steadfast and enduring, charity boundless, religion toler- 
ant, polities respectable, human nature itself worthy of its Divine 
Creator. It matters not where such a man is born, his home is 
the universe ; I'esponsive sympathies and open arms and warm 
hearts will greet him in every clime. And when death ends his 
eartldy career and he enters into a better and happier life beyond 
the grave the ministeriug angels around the throne of _God kneel 
in solemn heavenly reverence and jiay homage to his labors and 
virtues as his soul passes the awful portals of efernity. 



68 LIFE AND CHARACTEU OF THOMAS H. HERXDON. 



Address of Mr. PuGH, of Alabama. 

Mr. I'nEsinENT: The ciistoni of tlie two IIoiihus of Cousress 
i-laims a suspension of our duties to tlie living tliat we may pay 
onr la.st sad tribute to the memory of the dead. This is a mourn- 
ful duty to all of us, and to me it is espeeially ]iainful. My recol- 
leetion of Tno^rAS H. Hkundox is so fresh I iuu-c not yet been 
able to realize the melancliol}' fact that he is gone from us forever. 
My relations with him iiad grown t<i i)e so intimate, eordial, an<l 
confiding it will take a long time to etfiice froiu my menioi'v the 
impression that he still lives. How often are we reminded hv the 
appearance of the merciless Destroyer " what shadows we are and 
what shadows we pursue." And yet we press on, grasjiing these 
siiadows as if they wen; ])rici'less jewels, and making our ))repara- 
tious to live as if our earthly existence were immortal. 

^^'ilat a striking illustration is furnished in tiiis delusion of the 
beautiful truth that " we are fearfully and wonderfully made." 
How utterly blind and helpless we feel when confronted as we are 
every moment of our existence by the bew'iklering mysteries of our 
creation. If we had been so constituted as to be alileto understanil 
the delusive'and unsatisfying nature of all the earthly objects of 
onr desires," aspirations, and pursuits, and had i)cen made capable 
of accepting and acting u|)on the truth as it really is in the begin- 
ning of our lives, who could comprehend or imagine the efiTects of 
such a radical change in our capacity and knowledge u)ion onr 
lives and destinies? No higher wisdom could have been shown in 
the visible works of citation than is seen in the wonderful perfec- 
tion of tlie adaptation of material elements and objects to our 
wants and aspirations and in the unchangeable aftinities existing 
in the mysterious and incompreheusible C(>mbinations of mind and 
matter. How unwilling we are to accept the undeniable truth 
t liat disappointments, reverse.s, failures, trials, sorrows, and trou- 
l)lcs of all kinds are inseparable from our existence because they 
are indispensable agencies and influences employed in the execution 



ADDRESS OF MR. PVGB, OF ALABAMA. 69 

of ininuitalile laws and tlie consiimmation of the designs of an all- 
wise Providence. 

These reflections remind us that tiicre is a philosophy in life 
and death that fnrnishes more or less consolation and compensa- 
tion to alleviate our s<irrows and reconcile us to our losses. Every 
human life is a history, and in that of our lamented friend, which 
has been portrayed with so much force and fidelity by my col- 
league, there is everything to love and admire and nothing want- 
ing in qualities or action that a longer lease of life could have 
supplied to make a character more deserving our commemoration. 
I never knew a more perfectly organized man than Thomas H. 
Herxdon. There were remarkable uniformity and harmony in 
all his faculties. His natural endowments have been excelled in 
degree but not in quality, and their combination made an extra- 
ontlinary man. He was kind, gentle, polite, liberal, and unselfish. 
He had a keen sense of right, justice, honor, and duty, siipjJortcKl 
by strong convictions and affections and unfidtering courage and 
nianliDod. His powers of thought were remarkable for activity, 
clearness, and accuracy. 

Hi? natural gifts were develo|)ed and greatly imj)roved and em- 
bellished by educational cultivation and acquirements, and by up- 
right and honorable living and intercourse. His most consjticnous 
traits were strong convictions, sound judgment, spotless integrity, 
scrupulous sense of duty, and faultless manhood. These quali- 
ties established him above suspicion in the esteem and confidence 
of every person who knew him personally or by reputation. He 
was social, genial, and refined in his intercourse with all classes, 
and enjoyed from the beginning of his manhood merited popu- 
larity with the people under whose scrutiny and with whose sup- 
]iort he grew to distinction. As a friend he was always true under 
any trial. As a citizen he was exemplary, public spirited, and 
useful. No man was ever happier in his domestic relations. As 
a husband and parent he was kind, indulgent, and affectionate. 

As a lawyer he was efficient, faithful, and successful. As a rep- 
resentative in the legislature of his native State and in the consti- 
tutional convention of 1875 and in the other House of Congrress 



70 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF THOMAS H. HERNDOX. 

he devoted all liis powers of mind and heart to the honor, rights, 
interest, and welfare of his eonstituents. As a Confederate officer 
and soldier he vorifietl on many hattle-fields the highest qnalitios 
of manhood and patriotism. In his protracted illness and snHcr- 
ings and in full view of certain death his heroic nature maintained 
its snpremacy and snppressed all j)roof that death had any sting 
or the grave any victory. 

I move the adoption of tiie resolutions. 

The Presiding Officer. The (jucstion is on the aiioption of 
tiie resolutions submitted hy the senior Senator from Alaliama 
[Mr. :Srorgan]. 

The resolutions were agreed to nnaninmusly. 

Mr. Morgan. I submit the following I'csolntion : 

Resolred, Tliat, as a iurtlior mark of icNpcil to llic iiiiiiini v ol Thomas II. 
IIeunuon", till' SiMialti do now adjourn. 

The re.sohition was agreed to unanimously, and the Senate ad- 
Joui'ucd. 

O 



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